Diabetes up-regulated collagen IV and laminin α5 genes in mRNA and protein levels in seminiferous tubules of C57BL/6 adult mice.

Diabetes is a disease associated with impairment of the male reproductive system that causes complications such as decreased testosterone, the diameter of the seminiferous tubule, libido, and fertility. Extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules are involved in testicular development and spermatogenesis. Laminin and collagen are key proteins in seminiferous tubule basement membrane and play an important role in spermatogenesis.

Atypical desquamation in a 2.5-year-old boy with Kawasaki disease: A case report.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis that mostly affects children under 5 years of age. This article presents a 2.5-year-old boy who presented with 6 days of fever, generalized maculopapular rash, bilateral non-exudative conjunctivitis, cracked lips, right cervical lymphadenopathy, erythematous extremities, and perianal desquamation.

IL-23 Gene and Protein Expression in Childhood Asthma.

Background: Asthma is the chronic inflammation of airways characterized by eosinophilic infiltration, mucus overproduction, airway hyper-responsiveness and airway remodeling. These changes are induced mostly by cytokines which are produced by T helper (Th) 2 cells. Recently, the role of interleukin-23 (IL-23) in the pathogenesis of adult allergic asthma has been studied.

Severe angina pectoris in asthma attack: a case report.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways related to the obstruction of reversible airflow. Asthma presents as recurrent attacks of cough and dyspnea. Poor control causes recurrent admissions to the ICU, and mortality is related to poor drug compliance and follow-up.

Parkinson's Disease-Related Proteins PINK1 and Parkin Repress Mitochondrial Antigen Presentation.

Antigen presentation is essential for establishing immune tolerance and for immune responses against infectious disease and cancer. Although antigen presentation can be mediated by autophagy, here we demonstrate a pathway for mitochondrial antigen presentation (MitAP) that relies on the generation and trafficking of mitochondrial-derived vesicles (MDVs) rather than on autophagy/mitophagy. We find that PINK1 and Parkin, two mitochondrial proteins linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), actively inhibit MDV formation and MitAP.

Pulmonary embolism in an adolescent girl with negative ACLA systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): a case report.

Pulmonary involvement is a common manifestation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), whereas pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is rarely seen in SLE. PTE related to anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is also a rare disease. We have reported a 13-year-old female diagnosed with SLE Two years ago, who is being treated with hydroxychloroquine and prednisolone.

PCSK9 deficiency unmasks a sex- and tissue-specific subcellular distribution of the LDL and VLDL receptors in mice.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9), the last member of the family of Proprotein Convertases related to Subtilisin and Kexin, regulates LDL-cholesterol by promoting the endosomal/lysosomal degradation of the LDL receptor (LDLR). Herein, we show that the LDLR cell surface levels dramatically increase in the liver and pancreatic islets of PCSK9 KO male but not female mice. In contrast, in KO female mice, the LDLR is more abundant at the cell surface enterocytes, as is the VLDL receptor (VLDLR) at the cell surface of adipocytes.

Compartmentalization of membrane trafficking, glucose transport, glycolysis, actin, tubulin and the proteasome in the cytoplasmic droplet/Hermes body of epididymal sperm.

Discovered in 1909 by Retzius and described mainly by morphology, the cytoplasmic droplet of sperm (renamed here the Hermes body) is conserved among all mammalian species but largely undefined at the molecular level. Tandem mass spectrometry of the isolated Hermes body from rat epididymal sperm characterized 1511 proteins, 43 of which were localized to the structure in situ by light microscopy and two by quantitative electron microscopy localization. Glucose transporter 3 (GLUT-3) glycolytic enzymes, selected membrane traffic and cytoskeletal proteins were highly abundant and concentrated in the Hermes body.

Expression, sorting, and segregation of Golgi proteins during germ cell differentiation in the testis.

The molecular basis of changes in structure, cellular location, and function of the Golgi apparatus during male germ cell differentiation is unknown. To deduce cognate Golgi proteins, we isolated germ cell Golgi fractions, and 1318 proteins were characterized, with 20 localized in situ. The most abundant protein, GL54D of unknown function, is characterized as a germ cell-specific Golgi-localized type II integral membrane glycoprotein.

ARFGAP1 is dynamically associated with lipid droplets in hepatocytes.

The ARF GTPase Activating Protein 1 (ARFGAP1) associates mainly with the cytosolic side of Golgi cisternal membranes where it participates in the formation of both COPI and clathrin-coated vesicles. In this study, we show that ARFGAP1 associates transiently with lipid droplets upon addition of oleate in cultured cells. Also, that addition of cyclic AMP shifts ARFGAP1 from lipid droplets to the Golgi apparatus and that overexpression and knockdown of ARFGAP1 affect lipid droplet formation.

Oral azithromycin versus doxycycline in meibomian gland dysfunction: a randomised double-masked open-label clinical trial.

Background/aims: To assess the efficacy and safety of oral azithromycin compared with oral doxycycline in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) who had failed to respond to prior conservative management.

Methods: 110 patients (>12 years old) with MGD were randomly assigned to receive either oral 5-day azithromycin (500 mg on day 1 and then 250 mg/day) or 1-month doxycycline (200 mg/day). They also continued eyelid warming/cleaning and artificial tears.

Vitrectomy for posterior segment intraocular foreign bodies, visual and anatomical outcomes.

Purpose: To evaluate the visual and anatomic results and determine the prognostic factors after pars plana vitrectomy and posterior segment intraocular foreign body (IOFB) removal.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study reviews the patients' charts of 48 consecutive patients with posterior segment IOFB who underwent pars plana vitrectomy and IOFB removal over a 4-year period, recently. Association between visual outcome and various preoperative, operative, and postoperative variables was statistically analyzed.

Analysis of Amygdala Nucleus in the Rat Brain: A review study.

Amygdale is one of the limbic related sub-cortical nuclei lying in the depth of temporal lobe and rostral of the inferior horn of lateral ventricle. In fact, amygdale is a nucleus complex that plays an important role in the emotional response, anger, fear, regulation of cardiovascular system, memory processes and learning and in pathophysiology of many diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer, anxiety and depression. With regard to important of the amygdala in many critical functions, the cerebral disease and because of ethical problems most studies were done on animal models especially rats.

Morphometrical study of polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule positive cells in rat pups hippocampus following induction of seizure during pregnancy.

Background: The polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM) is expressed in developing brain. Fetal brain damage is caused by different conditions such as seizure and hypoxia. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of maternal seizures on the number of PSA-NCAM positive cells in pup's hippocampus.

Prospective randomized blinded comparison of a short-wire endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography system with traditional long-wire devices.

Background: Short-wire endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) systems are perceived to carry advantage over traditional long-wire devices. To date, this potential advantage has not been well documented, and gastroenterologists are confronted in everyday practice with the dilemma of choosing a particular system without the benefit of having objective comparative data.

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the performance characteristics of the Fusion ERCP short-wire system with traditional long-wire devices.

Large size balloon dilation of the ampulla after biliary sphincterotomy can facilitate endoscopic extraction of difficult bile duct stones.

Goals: Evaluate the efficacy and safety of large size balloon dilation of the biliary orifice after maximal biliary sphincterotomy to facilitate removal of difficult bile duct stones in a Western population.

Background: Some bile duct stones may be difficult to remove with standard endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) techniques. Even after multiple procedures, and the use of advanced, labor-intense techniques complete stone clearance may be difficult to achieve.

Rapid-sequence endoscopic management of posttransplant anastomotic biliary strictures.

Background: Post-liver-transplant anastomotic biliary strictures generally have been managed through ERCP with gradual balloon dilation and placement of multiple stents over an extended period of time.

Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate the long-term outcome of rapid sequence dilation and to shorten the duration of stenting as a therapy for anastomotic biliary strictures.

Design: Prospective case series.

An organelle proteomic method to study neurotransmission-related proteins, applied to a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia.

Limited information is currently available on molecular events that underlie schizophrenia-like behaviors in animal models. Accordingly, we developed an organelle proteomic approach enabling the study of neurotransmission-related proteins in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of postpubertal (postnatal day 60 (PD60)) neonatally ventral hippocampal (nVH) lesioned rats, an extensively used neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia-like behaviors. The PFC was chosen because of its purported role in the etiology of the disease.

Insulin receptor kinase-associated phosphotyrosine phosphatases in hepatic endosomes: assessing the role of phosphotyrosine phosphatase-1B.

Previous work has shown that bisperoxo(1,10-phenanthroline)-oxovanadate(v) anion [bpV(phen)] induces potent insulin-mimicking effects in the rat, selectively activates the endosomal (EN) insulin receptor kinase (IRK) in liver, and markedly abolishes endosomal IRK-associated phosphotyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity while reducing that of total ENs by approximately 30%. In this study we examined the relatively selective effect of bpv(phen) on endosomal PTP activities for the purpose of defining IRK-associated PTP(s). Using an in-gel PTP assay, we detected multiple (approximately 20) species of endosomal PTP (30 to >220 kDa), with five that were markedly inhibited after in vivo bpV(phen) administration.

Prospective evaluation of the accuracy of the intraductal secretin stimulation test in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.

Background & Aims: The standard secretin stimulation test (SST) is the accepted gold standard for pancreatic function testing. The intraductal secretin stimulation test (IDST) performed at the time of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has been proposed as a more feasible way to evaluate pancreatic function. The accuracy of the IDST for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis (CP) has not been well defined.

The utility and the safety of EUS-guided FNA in the evaluation of duplication cysts.

Background: Diagnosis of a foregut duplication cyst is of great clinical impact. A definitive diagnosis of a foregut duplication cyst can avert the need for major thoracic surgery in the otherwise asymptomatic individual. This study sought to evaluate the safety and the utility of EUS and EUS-guided FNA (EUS-FNA) in the diagnosis of foregut duplication cysts.

Management of the mucin filled bile duct. A complication of intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of the pancreas.

Context: Biliary obstruction secondary to intrabiliary mucin is a relatively rare presentation of malignant intraductal pancreatic mucinous tumor. We report a case of unresectable intraductal pancreatic mucinous tumor associated with obstructive jaundice secondary to intrabiliary mucin. This case and a review of the literature, highlight the difficulty in obtaining sustained palliation from jaundice using endoscopically placed biliary stents or percutaneously placed biliary catheters due to rapid occlusion with thick mucin secreted by the tumor.

Intrapancreatic ductal pressure in sphincter of Oddi dysfunction.

Objectives: It is widely believed that sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) induces pancreatitis through an increase in intrapancreatic ductal pressure. Animal models have demonstrated that increased intrapancreatic ductal pressure plays a role in the development of pancreatitis. The role of intrapancreatic ductal pressure in SOD-induced pancreatitis has not been investigated in humans.

An endoscopic perspective on pancreatic pseudocysts.

Significant advances in endoscopic, radiologic, and surgical techniques have transformed the management of pancreatic pseudocysts. The present review focuses upon advances in the endoscopic management of pseudocysts and incorporation of these techniques into an overall management approach. Findings with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography often guide the choice of drainage method.