Surgical correction of the "small" postpartum ptotic breast.

Background: In our experience, most women seeking correction of the "small" ptotic breast have a history of previous pregnancies and breastfeeding.

Objective: We propose a classification of postpartum ptosis into 4 groups and describe the appropriate surgical treatment for each category of ptosis.

Methods: We defined categories of ptosis on the basis of the remnant mammary gland, skin condition, position of the nipple-areolar complex (NAC), and distance from the NAC to the inframammary fold (IMF).

Comparative analysis of the plant mRNA-destabilizing element, DST, in mammalian and tobacco cells.

The labile SAUR transcripts from higher plants contain a conserved DST sequence in their 3'-untranslated regions. Two copies of a DST sequence from soybean are sufficient to destabilize reporter transcripts in cultured tobacco cells whereas variants bearing mutations in the conserved ATAGAT or GTA regions are inactive. To investigate the potential for conserved recognition components in mammalian and plant cells, we examined the function of this instability determinant in mouse NIH3T3 fibroblasts and tobacco BY2 cells.

Antibodies against the COOH-terminal region of E. coli ClpP protease in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background/aims: The presence of antibodies in sera from patients with autoimmune diseases is an important tool for diagnosis and for providing insights into the mechanisms leading to autoimmunity. The aim of this study was to characterize new reactive antigens in liver autoimmune diseases.

Methods: Sera of patients with liver-related autoimmune (n=74) and non-liver-related autoimmune (n= 211) diseases, non-autoimmune liver diseases (n=18) and healthy controls (n=160) were evaluated for antibodies against E.

Tumor suppressor p53 is required to modulate BRCA1 expression.

Individuals carrying mutations in BRCA1 or p53 genes are predisposed to a variety of cancers, and both tumor suppressor genes have been implicated in DNA damage response pathways. We have analyzed a possible functional link between p53 and BRCA1 genes. Here we show that BRCA1 expression levels are down-regulated in response to p53 induction in cells that undergo either growth arrest, senescence, or apoptosis.

Proteolytic processing and assembly of the C5 subunit into the proteasome complex.

Assembly of mammalian 20 S proteasomes from individual subunits is beginning to be investigated. Proteasomes are made of four heptameric rings in the configuration alpha7beta7beta7alpha7. By using anti-proteasome and anti-subunit-specific antibodies, we characterized the processing and assembly of the beta subunit C5.

Inhibition of tumor cell growth by RTP/rit42 and its responsiveness to p53 and DNA damage.

Through a differential screening technique, we have identified a cDNA clone with differential expression in normal versus tumor cells. This clone, designated rit42 (reduced in tumor, 42 kDa), was previously isolated as a homocysteine-inducible gene in human endothelial cells (RTP), and the same or a highly related androgen-responsive gene in mouse has also been identified. Both Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization demonstrated a significantly diminished expression in tumor cells, including those derived from breast and prostate when compared with normal cells.

Experimental studies on the effect of lidocaine on wound healing.

Local anesthetics have several effects on wound healing. In experimental studies, procaine at high concentrations has been proved to retard healing in surgical wounds by diminishing the synthesis of mucopolysaccharides and hence probably collagen. Other studies have shown that lidocaine and bupivacaine inhibit collagen synthesis in fibroblast tissue cultures in rats.

Immunohistochemical distribution and electron microscopic subcellular localization of the proteasome in the rat CNS.

The proteasome multicatalytic proteinase (MCP) is a 20S complex that plays a major role in nonlysosomal pathways of intracellular protein degradation. A polyclonal antibody against rat liver MCP was used to investigate the distribution of MCP in the CNS of the rat and its subcellular localization within the neurons. As expected, MCP immunoreactivity (MCP-IR) was distributed ubiquitously in the rat CNS but not homogeneously.

Phosphorylation of C8 and C9 subunits of the multicatalytic proteinase by casein kinase II and identification of the C8 phosphorylation sites by direct mutagenesis.

Two 29 kDa subunits of the multicatalytic proteinase (proteasome) complex, the C8 and C9 components, are phosphorylated in vivo and can be phosphorylated in vitro by casein kinase II (CKII). The major phosphate acceptor is the C8 subunit being phosphorylated in serine, both in vivo and in vitro. The phosphopeptides generated by Glu-C endoprotease digestion from the in vivo 29 kDa labeled subunit and from the in vitro phosphorylation of the recombinant C8 subunit with CKII are identical, suggesting that CKII is likely responsible for the in vivo phosphorylation of the C8 subunit.

alpha-1-Antitrypsin phenotypes among breast cancer patients in the Basque population.

One of the main functions of alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is to inhibit the activity of most proteases. It has been suggested that a deficiency in this protein may favor invasion by cancer cells--consequently, individuals with A1AT-deficient alleles (null, S and Z) may be at greater risk of tumoral invasion due to their lower capacity of response to proteolytic enzymes. This work examines the frequencies of A1AT phenotypes in breast cancer (BC) patients.

Antibodies against the C2 COOH-terminal region discriminate the active and latent forms of the multicatalytic proteinase complex.

The mouse cDNA homologues of the rat C2, C9, and C5 subunits of the multicatalytic proteinase have been cloned and expressed in bacteria. The respective recombinant proteins were purified and used to produce specific anti-subunit antibodies. Immunoblotting of two-dimensional gels of purified rat liver multicatalytic proteinase showed that the C2 (32-kDa) and C9 (29-kDa) polypeptides are resolved into three and two isoelectric variants, respectively, likely due to post-translational modifications, i.

The (8-thiotheophyllinate) (triphenylphosphine) gold (I), (tTAuP): a new gold complex as an anticancer agent.

In continuous Friend leukemia cell exposure to tTAuP, the IC50 was 0.2 microM whereas in cells exposed 15 or 60 min to tTAuP followed by 72 h in drug-free medium the IC50 was 2.2 and 1.

Modulation of the multicatalytic proteinase complex by lipids, interconversion and proteolytic processing.

In studying the modulation of multicatalytic proteinase (MCP), we have focused on three main aspects: (1) modulation of the activity of the MCP complex by lipids, showing that cardiolipin, sulfatides and gangliosides are potent activators of the enzymatic activity of the complex; (2) modulation by interconversion of MCP subunits, showing that casein kinase II is able to phosphorylate the C8 (this subunit is also be main in vivo phosphorylated subunit) and C9 subunits of the complex in vitro and that a 26-kD subunit is phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C, and (3) modulation by proteolytic processing, extending our previous observation of proteolytic processing of the C2 COOH terminus, the presence of enzymatic activities in different subcellular fractions able to convert the intact C2 (32 kD) subunit to a 28-kD polypeptide by removal of at least the last 9-13 amino acids of the C2 polypeptide. The data presented illustrate that the MCP complex is probably under tight and multifactorial control in vivo.

Polymorphism of haptoglobin (HP), group specific component (GC) and alpha-1-antitrypsin (PI) in the resident population of the Basque Country (Spain).

The Basque Country is inhabited by three populations: indigenous inhabitants, immigrants from other regions of the Iberian peninsula and descendants from a mixture of both groups. The principal component analysis of gene frequencies at HP, GC and PI loci shows two groups in the Basque Country: one comprising the indigenous inhabitants and those of mixed descent, the other of immigrants. The first group presents gene frequencies similar to those of inhabitants of the Pyrenees and Central Europe areas, while the second group has frequencies similar to other European and Mediterranean inhabitants.

AK1, PGD, GC and HP frequencies in the Basque population: a review.

A random sample from the Basque population has been studied for 4 polymorphic genetic markers. The gene frequencies are AK1*1 = 0.954, PGD*A = 0.