Publications by authors named "Brittany L Roberts"

Introduction: Primary bladder neck obstruction (BNO) occurs when the bladder neck fails to open during voiding, causing urinary symptoms despite no anatomic obstruction. The cause of BNO is unclear but may involve neurogenic dysregulation related to the sympathic nervous system such as upper motor neuron lesion or peripheral autonomic neuropathy (small fiber neuropathy (SFN)). Another etiology can incuded increased sympathetic tone secondary to anxiety or stress conditons.

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Introduction And Hypothesis: The objectives of this video are to discuss the presentation, evaluation, and surgical management of a patient with a vesicovaginal fistula at the time of colpocleisis.

Method: We present the case of an 83-year-old woman with a history of stage IV prolapse who had had a pessary device removed. Urine had been noted to be in the vaginal vault, leading to suspicion of a vesicovaginal fistula.

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Article Synopsis
  • Over 80 different mutations in the SOD1 protein are linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS), causing the protein to misfold and aggregate.
  • The study focused on mutating specific Glu residues at positions 40 and 133 that help stabilize the protein's structure, with the aim to understand how these changes contribute to misfolding and aggregation.
  • Using a fluorescent fusion assay, researchers found that certain mutations lead to aggregation through the introduction of steric strain in the 3D structure of the protein.
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Article Synopsis
  • Mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) lead to protein misfolding and aggregation, with over 80 different amino acid positions implicated.
  • One suggested mechanism for heightened aggregation is the reduction of charged amino acids, which could decrease repulsive forces that normally prevent misfolded proteins from interacting.
  • The study examined mutations in four specific Lys residues in SOD1, finding that while some mutations enhanced binding to a specific antibody recognizing misfolded proteins, they did not lead to intracellular inclusions, potentially explaining the rarity of mutations at Lys residues in ALS cases.
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Co-expression of wild-type human superoxide dismutase 1 (WT-hSOD1) with ALS mutant hSOD1 accelerates disease onset relative to mice expressing only mutant protein. Here, we analyzed the effect of co-expressed WT-hSOD1 in two established mutant mouse models (L126Z and G37R), and a new model that expresses the first 102 amino acids of SOD1 with mutations at histidines 46, 48 and 63 to eliminate Cu binding (Cu-V103Z). A subset of Cu-V103Z mice developed paralysis between 500 and 730 days.

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Mutations in the gene encoding superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) account for about 20% of the cases of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). It is well established that mutations in SOD1, associated with fALS, heighten the propensity of the protein to misfold and aggregate. Although aggregation appears to be a factor in the toxicity of mutant SOD1s, the precise nature of this toxicity has not been elucidated.

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Background: Pathologic aggregates of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) harboring mutations linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) have been shown to contain aberrant intermolecular disulfide cross-links. In prior studies, we observed that intermolecular bonding was not necessary in the formation of detergent- insoluble SOD1 complexes by mutant SOD1, but we were unable to assess whether this type of bonding may be important for pathologic inclusion formation. In the present study, we visually assess the formation of large inclusions by fusing mutant SOD1 to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP).

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