Experimental quantification of the vibrant soundbridge stapes head (SH-) coupler in human cadaveric temporal bones.

Background: The "floating mass transducer" (FMT) of the Vibrant Soundbridge was initially attached to the long process of the incus (LP). In patients missing an incus, coupling to the stapes head using the Vibroplasty CliP-coupler is used. Its main limitation is the height, leading to potential contact with the tympanic membrane.

Rapid building block-economic synthesis of long, multi--GalNAcylated MUC5AC tandem repeat peptides.

The study of mucin function requires access to highly -glycosylated peptides with multiple tandem repeats. Solid-phase synthesis would be a suitable method, however, the central problem in the synthesis of mucin glycopeptides is the need to use precious and potentially vulnerable glycoamino acid building blocks in excess. In this article, we report the development of a method based on SPPS and native chemical ligation/desulfurization chemistry that allows the rapid, reliable, and glyco-economical synthesis of long multi--GalNAcylated peptides.

Screening for congenital hearing impairment with brainstem evoked response audiometry in isolated orofacial cleft.

Brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) is the most established and recommended objective audiometric method for the clinical diagnosis of hearing impairment in high-risk infants. It is unclear whether infants with orofacial clefts meet the criteria for the high-risk group. This retrospective cohort study evaluated the need for diagnostic BERA in infants with cleft palate with or without cleft lip by assessing the predisposition to and diagnosis of congenital hearing impairment.

Real-time monitoring of the sialic acid biosynthesis pathway by NMR.

Sialic acids are part of the outermost component of the glycocalyx of all vertebrates; as such, they are fundamental markers in physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we introduce a real-time assay to monitor individual enzymatic steps of sialic acid biosynthesis, either with recombinant enzymes, in particular using UDP--acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase (GNE) or -acetylmannosamine kinase (MNK), or in cytosolic rat liver extract. Using state-of-the-art NMR techniques, we are able to follow the characteristic signal of the -acetyl methyl group, which displays different chemical shifts for the biosynthesis intermediates UDP--acetylglucosamine, -acetylmannosamine (and its 6-phosphate) and -acetylneuraminic acid (and its 9-phosphate).

The Rapunzel syndrome: a hairy tale.

Background: Trichobezoars are a rare medical condition, often requiring a surgical approach and commonly associated with an underlying psychiatric disorder. The Rapunzel syndrome is a rare variant of trichobezoar in the stomach extending from the stomach into the small intestine causing a bowel obstruction.

Case Presentation: In this case report, the clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, and surgical removal of a large-size bezoar (Rapunzel syndrome) in a young and otherwise healthy female is described.