Binding and activation of thiamin diphosphate in acetohydroxyacid synthase.

Acetohydroxyacid synthases (AHASs) are biosynthetic thiamin diphosphate- (ThDP) and FAD-dependent enzymes. They are homologous to pyruvate oxidase and other members of a family of ThDP-dependent enzymes which catalyze reactions in which the first step is decarboxylation of a 2-ketoacid. AHAS catalyzes the condensation of the 2-carbon moiety, derived from the decarboxylation of pyruvate, with a second 2-ketoacid, to form acetolactate or acetohydroxybutyrate.

A nosocomial outbreak of fluoroquinolone-resistant salmonella infection.

Background: Infection with fluoroquinolone-resistant strains of salmonella is rare, as is nosocomial salmonella infection. We describe the first recognized outbreak of fluoroquinolone-resistant salmonella infections in the United States, which occurred in two nursing homes and one hospital in Oregon.

Methods: We interviewed medical staff and reviewed patients' charts and death certificates.

Sexual behaviour and HIV knowledge among Dermatology cum Genitourinary Clinic attendees, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

A study was conducted in the Dermatology cum Genitourinary Clinic, Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru to determine a local population's knowledge of HIV and their sexual behaviour in relation to it. A total of 231 men and 217 women were interviewed. The sexual culture seen is one of relatively late age of first sexual intercourse, low level of partner change and low level of condom use.

Rab3D, a small GTP-binding protein implicated in regulated secretion, is associated with the transcytotic pathway in rat hepatocytes.

Rab3 isotypes are expressed in regulated secretory cells. Here, we report that rab3D is also expressed in rat hepatocytes, classic models for constitutive secretion. Using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers specific for rat rab3D, we amplified a 151 base pair rab3D fragment from total RNA extracted from primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.

Detection of plum pox virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in some apricot and peach varieties and hybrids in Romania.

Plum pox virus (PPV) is a potyvirus widely spread in many species of the Prunus genus such as plum, apricot, peach, sweet cherry and others. This potyvirus causes great damage to stone fruit trees in Romania and other European countries as Hungary, Italy, Czech Republic, France, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Slovak Republic. The Research Station for Fruit Tree Growing Baneasa in Bucharest has realized many studies on the epidemiology and spread of PPV and also on the disease symptomatology and detection possibilities.

Autoimmune liver diseases. Recurrence after liver transplantation.

PBC and AIH recur after OLTx. The recurrence of PSC is less clear. Recurrence of these diseases seems to be of relatively little importance in the short term; however, longer follow-up is required to address the significance of recurrent disease.

Multinational outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Newport infections due to contaminated alfalfa sprouts.

Context: In December 1995, reported Salmonella enterica serotype Newport (SN) infections increased sharply in Oregon and British Columbia but not elsewhere in North America. Similar unexplained increases had been noted in 6 other states in the fall of 1995.

Objective: To determine the source of the outbreak(s).

Acute hepatitis E by a new isolate acquired in the United States.

Objective: To report the first case of acute hepatitis E by a novel isolate acquired in the United States and confirmed by nucleotide sequencing.

Material And Methods: We describe the clinical manifestations and the results of associated laboratory studies in a man who was found to have acute hepatitis E infection.

Results: A 62-year-old man was hospitalized because of fever, abdominal pain, and jaundice.

The prediction of risk of recurrence and time to recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after orthotopic liver transplantation: a pilot study.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) in the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been complicated by high recurrence rates. The ability to determine the risk and timing of HCC recurrence on an individual basis would greatly aid in the candidate selection process resulting in a more efficient use of donated organs and allow the individualization and better evaluation of adjuvant chemotherapy. The 214 patients who underwent OLTx in the presence of HCC were analyzed.

An outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections traced to jerky made from deer meat.

Objective: To investigate a 1995 outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections and to assess the safety of meat dehydration methods.

Design: Survey subsequent to routine surveillance report, environmental investigations, and laboratory experimentation.

Setting: Oregon community.

Rat hepatocytes transport water mainly via a non-channel-mediated pathway.

During bile formation by the liver, large volumes of water are transported across two epithelial barriers consisting of hepatocytes and cholangiocytes (i.e. intrahepatic bile duct epithelial cells).

Hepatobiliary disease in inflammatory bowel disease.

PSC is the most common and most important hepatobiliary disease seen in association with IBD. Approximately 5% of all patients with CUC have PSC, and most patients with PSC ultimately develop IBD, usually CUC. PSC and CUC appear to be associated diseases-one does not cause the other, but common pathogenic mechanisms are likely involved.

[Epidemiology of the climacteric period in a large city].

Epidemiological screening of 1,939 females working in Moscow showed the incidence of the climacteric syndrome to be as high as 42.4%. The mean age at the onset of the pre-menopause was 48 +/- 0.

Effect of ursodeoxycholic acid on serum lipids of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Objective: To study the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on lipid levels in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

Design: A randomized, placebo-controlled prospective trial of UDCA was conducted in 177 well-characterized patients with PBC.

Material And Methods: The two treatment groups (placebo and UDCA) were matched at entry with respect to age, sex, histologic stage of PBC, biochemical values, and serum lipid levels.

Screening for hemochromatosis: a cost-effectiveness study based on 12,258 patients.

Background/aims: Current emphasis in hemochromatosis has focused on early detection and treatment to prevent permanent liver damage and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus far, only normal population and high-risk groups have been screened but not patients seeking medical care.

Methods: Serum iron levels were determined in consecutive fasting blood samples collected in the morning from 12,258 Mayo Clinic patients.

RT-PCR cloning of Rab3 isoforms expressed in peritoneal mast cells.

Rab proteins are ras-like low molecular mass GTP-binding proteins, which are postulated to act as specific regulators of membrane trafficking in exocytosis and endocytosis. We have previously shown that synthetic peptides, corresponding to the effector domain of Rab3 proteins, stimulate a complete exocytotic response in mast cells. We have used a PCR-cloning strategy to investigate the presence of mRNA encoding Rab3 in mast cells.

Histological evidence for recurrence of primary biliary cirrhosis after liver transplantation.

Whether primary biliary cirrhosis recurs after orthotopic liver transplantation remains a controversial issue. Sixty consecutive patients with primary biliary cirrhosis with at least 1 yr of follow-up after liver transplantation were studied. All patients were treated with triple-drug immunosuppression (cyclosporine, prednisone, azathioprine).

[The pathogenetic mechanisms of hyperthermia in patients with the premenstrual syndrome].

Functional status of the central and autonomic nervous system was analyzed in 28 patients with the premenstrual syndrome one of whose manifestations was disordered thermoregulation. The examinations were carried out during both cycle phases. Analysis of the EEG data and clinical findings has shown different patterns of autonomic thermoregulation disturbances in three groups of patients and permitted the authors to suggest that changed activity of certain neurotransmitter systems connected with hormonal secretion over the course of the cycle was responsible for these disturbances.

[The psychiatric aspect of the climacteric syndrome: its clinical picture and treatment].

A total of 130 patients with the climacteric syndrome associated with mental disorders were examined by psychiatrists. Two groups of patients were distinguished. In Group 1 specific climacteric disorders ('flushes', excessive sweating, etc.