[Spontaneous retroperitoneal hemorrhage].

A 50-year old male presented to our emergency department with sudden abdominal pain. Upon arrival he was diaphoretic, pale and tachycardic. A CT showed retroperitoneal hemorrhage with suspected tumor at the left adrenal gland.

[Iatrogenic femoral AV-fistula].

The common femoral artery is a widely used for access in endovascular interventions. Various complications, such as hematoma, pseudoaneurysm and AV-fistula (AVF), can arise from arterial punctures with estimated prevalence between 1-10%. AVF is a rare complication with prevalence p<1%.

Changes of center of rotation and femoral offset in total hip arthroplasty.

Background: It is a challenge to reconstruct the center of rotation (COR) and femoroacetabular offset anatomically in total hip arthroplasty (THA). We addressed the controversy how we manage to preserve the COR and femoroacetabular offset with an uncemented total hip prosthesis implanted with free hand technique.

Methods: We analyzed a prospective series of 73 patients who underwent primary THA.

Reliability of measures used in radiographic evaluation of the adult hip.

Objective: The reliability of radiographic measurements has been studied in pediatric hips, but less has been published on the adult hip, and none have examined the reliability of measurements for the location of the center of rotation (COR) of the hip joint. We have investigated the reliability of various radiographic variables with a focus on the COR.

Materials And Methods: The study was carried out on a standardized format for anterior-posterior radiographs of the pelvis.

Characterization of cold-adapted Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) trypsin I--kinetic parameters, autolysis and thermal stability.

Atlantic cod trypsin I is a highly active cold-adapted protease. This study aimed at further characterization of this enzyme with respect to kinetic parameters, sites of autolysis and stability. For that purpose, trypsin I was purified by anion exchange chromatography.

Resonant-optical-cavity photoconductive switch with 0.5% conversion efficiency and 1.0 W peak power.

We report a new photoconductive switch having an average output power of 44 microW, an instantaneous bandwidth of approximately 300 GHz, an output pulse width of approximately 2.2 ps, a peak output power of approximately 1.0 W, and an optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency of approximately 0.

Conformation and stability of elastase from Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua.

Metal binding and conformational stability characteristics of psychrophilic elastase (ACE) from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) has been investigated. Chelation to Ca(2+) was found to be important for maintaining the biologically active conformation and for the thermal stability of the enzyme. However, presence of metal ions such as Zn(2+), Fe(3+) and Cu(2+) was found to inhibit its hydrolytic activity and so did the chelating agent EDTA.

The identification of functional motifs in temporal gene expression analysis.

The identification of transcription factor binding sites is essential to the understanding of the regulation of gene expression and the reconstruction of genetic regulatory networks. The in silico identification of cis-regulatory motifs is challenging due to sequence variability and lack of sufficient data to generate consensus motifs that are of quantitative or even qualitative predictive value. To determine functional motifs in gene expression, we propose a strategy to adopt false discovery rate (FDR) and estimate motif effects to evaluate combinatorial analysis of motif candidates and temporal gene expression data.

Recombinant cold-adapted trypsin I from Atlantic cod-expression, purification, and identification.

Atlantic cod trypsin I is a cold-adapted proteolytic enzyme exhibiting approximately 20 times higher catalytic efficiency (kcat/KM) than its mesophilic bovine counterpart for the simple amide substrate BAPNA. In general, cold-adapted proteolytic enzymes are sensitive to autolytic degradation, thermal inactivation as well as molecular aggregation, even at temperatures as low as 18-25 degrees C which may explain the problems observed with their expression, activation, and purification. Prior to the data presented here, there have been no reports in the literature on the expression of psychrophilic or cold-adapted proteolytic enzymes from fish.

Genomic profiling of iron-responsive genes in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium by high-throughput screening of a random promoter library.

The importance of iron to bacteria is shown by the presence of numerous iron-scavenging and transport systems and by many genes whose expression is tightly regulated by iron availability. We have taken a global approach to gene expression analysis of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in response to iron by combining efficient, high-throughput methods with sensitive, luminescent reporting of gene expression using a random promoter library. Real-time expression profiles of the library were generated under low- and high-iron conditions to identify iron-regulated promoters, including a number of previously identified genes.

First comprehensive low-density horse linkage map based on two 3-generation, full-sibling, cross-bred horse reference families.

Two 3-generation full-sibling reference families have been produced and form a unique resource for genetic linkage mapping studies in the horse. The F(2) generations, now comprising 61 individuals, consist of 28- to 32-day-old embryos removed nonsurgically from two pairs of identical twin mares. The same stallion sired all F(2)s such that the two full-sibling families are half-sibling with respect to each other.

Comparative in vitro activity of gatifloxacin, grepafloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin and trovafloxacin against 4151 Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms.

Gatifloxacin, grepafloxacin, moxifloxacin and trovafloxacin are fluoroquinolones with enhanced Gram-positive activity while retaining broad-spectrum activity against Gram-negative pathogens. Levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin are older quinolones with broad activity against Gram-negative pathogens and borderline activity against some Gram-positive organisms. We compared the in vitro activity of these compounds against 4151 Gram-negative and -positive organisms.

Inhibition of platelet aggregation by the recombinant cysteine-rich domain of the hemorrhagic snake venom metalloproteinase, atrolysin A.

The P-III class of venom metalloproteinases has, in addition to the proteinase domain, a disintegrin-like domain and a cysteine-rich domain. Recent evidence has shown that the nonproteinase domains of the P-III class of hemorrhagic metalloproteinases function in the inhibition of platelet aggregation by blocking essential procoagulant integrins on platelets. A specific role for the highly conserved cysteine-rich domain has yet to be described.

In vitro activity of several antimicrobial agents against 1003 isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes collected from Western Canada.

Streptococcus pyogenes is a common pathogen which may be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Recent information is not readily available, in Canada, regarding the susceptibility of clinical isolates to penicillin, extended spectrum and/or newer agents. We collected and tested 1003 isolates of S.

Function of disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich domains of atrolysin A. Inhibition of platelet aggregation by recombinant protein and peptide antagonists.

Snake venom hemorrhagic metalloproteinase toxins that have metalloproteinase, disintegrin-like and cysteine-rich domains are significantly more potent than toxins with only a metalloproteinase domain. The disintegrin-like domains of these toxins differ from the disintegrin peptides found in crotalid and viperid venoms by the nature of their different disulfide bond structure and, in lieu of the disintegrins' signature Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) integrin binding sequence, there is an XXCD disulfide-bonded cysteinyl sequence in that region. Due to these apparent differences, the contribution to the overall function of the hemorrhagic metalloproteinases by the disintegrin-like domain has been unknown.

Snake venom metalloproteinases: structure, function and relationship to the ADAMs family of proteins.

A large number of zinc metalloproteinases of varying mol. wts and biological functions has been isolated from crotalid and viperid venoms. Over the past few years, structural studies on these proteinases have suggested their organization into four classes, P-I to P-IV.

Isolation and characterization of two cDNAs from Atlantic cod encoding two distinct psychrophilic elastases.

The cDNAs encoding two different Atlantic cod elastases have been isolated and sequenced. The predicted amino acid sequences revealed two preproelastases, consisting of a signal peptide, an activation peptide and a mature enzyme of 242 and 239 amino acids. Amino acid sequence identity between the two cod elastases was 60.

Characterization of a collagenolytic serine proteinase from the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).

A collagenolytic proteinase was purified from the intestines of Atlantic cod by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, hydrophobic interaction chromatography (phenyl-Sepharose) and ion-exchange chromatography (DEAE-Sepharose). The proteinase has an estimated molecular weight of 24.1 (+/- 0.

Atlantic cod cDNA encoding a psychrophilic chymotrypsinogen.

A cDNA clone encoding a psychrophilic cod chymotrypsinogen has been isolated and characterized. The predicted amino acid sequence reveals a preproenzyme of 263 amino acids containing a unique 18 residue signal sequence. Amino acid sequence identity between the cod and mammalian chymotrypsinogens is 64-68%.

cDNA sequences for four snake venom metalloproteinases: structure, classification, and their relationship to mammalian reproductive proteins.

Presented here are four new cDNA sequences for hemorrhagic metalloproteinases from Crotalus atrox venom, hemorrhagic toxins a, b, c, and d. Comparison of the translated open reading frames to the mature protein sequences gives evidence for post-translational processing at both the amino and carboxyl termini. This comparison is also the basis for a new classification system for these precursors, based on their different sizes.

Hemorrhagic metalloproteinases from snake venoms.

One of the more significant consequences of crotalid envenomation is hemorrhage. Over the past 50 years of investigation, it is clear that the primary factors responsible for hemorrhage are metalloproteinases present in the venom of these snakes. The biochemical basis for their activity is the proteolytic destruction of basement membrane and extracellular matrix surrounding capillaries and small vessels.