Investigating Risk Factors for Urine Culture Contamination in Outpatient Clinics: A New Avenue for Diagnostic Stewardship.

Mixed flora in urine cultures usually occur due to pre-analytic contamination. In our outpatient urology clinic, we found a high prevalence of mixed flora (46.2%), which was associated with female sex and older age.

Small Diameter Penile Implants: A Survey on Current Utilization and Review of Literature.

Background: Inflatable penile prostheses (IPPs) with smaller diameter cylinders have been in use for over 30 years, yet the literature is sparse on their utilization patterns amongst prosthetic surgeons.

Aim: To understand current usage of small diameter penile implants (SDPI) among prosthetic surgeons.

Methods: IRB approval was obtained to conduct a survey of prosthetic surgeons.

The exchange of the fast substrate water in the S state of photosystem II is limited by diffusion of bulk water through channels - implications for the water oxidation mechanism.

The molecular oxygen we breathe is produced from water-derived oxygen species bound to the MnCaO cluster in photosystem II (PSII). Present research points to the central oxo-bridge O5 as the 'slow exchanging substrate water (W)', while, in the S state, the terminal water ligands W2 and W3 are both discussed as the 'fast exchanging substrate water (W)'. A critical point for the assignment of W is whether or not its exchange with bulk water is limited by barriers in the channels leading to the MnCaO cluster.

Update on the Medical and Surgical Management of Urethral Condyloma.

Introduction: Condyloma acuminata (CA) of the urethra presents a management challenge due to high recurrence rates, difficulty in accessing urethral lesions, risk of stricture formation, and potential for sexual dysfunction. While standard treatment modalities are acceptable for some external genital condyloma, they are not always feasible or appropriate for urethral lesions.

Objectives: We sought to review the literature on epidemiology, presentation, diagnosis and treatment of urothelial CA with a focus on surgical treatment options.

Roles of D1-Glu189 and D1-Glu329 in O Formation by the Water-Splitting MnCa Cluster in Photosystem II.

During the catalytic step that precedes O-O bond formation in Photosystem II, a water molecule deprotonates and moves next to the water-splitting MnCa cluster's O5 oxo bridge. The relocated oxygen, known as O6 or O, may serve as a substrate, combining with O5 to form O during the final step in the catalytic cycle, or may be positioned to become a substrate during the next catalytic cycle. Recent serial femtosecond X-ray crystallographic studies show that the flexibility of D1-E189 plays a critical role in facilitating the relocation of O/O.

D1-S169A substitution of photosystem II reveals a novel S-state structure.

In photosystem II (PSII), photosynthetic water oxidation occurs at the O-evolving complex (OEC), a tetramanganese-calcium cluster that cycles through light-induced redox intermediates (S-S) to produce oxygen from two substrate water molecules. The OEC is surrounded by a hydrogen-bonded network of amino-acid residues that plays a crucial role in proton transfer and substrate water delivery. Previously, we found that D1-S169 was crucial for water oxidation and its mutation to alanine perturbed the hydrogen-bonding network.

Immunostaining Patterns of Posttransplant Liver Biopsies Using 2 Anti-C4d Antibodies.

Histopathologic diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection in posttransplant liver biopsies is challenging. The recently proposed diagnostic criteria by the Banff Working Group on Liver Allograft Pathology require positive C4d immunohistochemical staining to establish the diagnosis. However, the reported C4d staining patterns vary widely in different studies.

One of the Substrate Waters for O Formation in Photosystem II Is Provided by the Water-Splitting MnCaO Cluster's Ca Ion.

During the catalytic step immediately prior to O-O bond formation in Photosystem II, a water molecule deprotonates and moves next to the water-splitting MnCaO cluster's O5 oxo bridge. Considerable evidence identifies O5 as one of the two substrate waters that ultimately form O. The relocated oxygen, known as O6 or O, may be the second.

Bicarbonate rescues damaged proton-transfer pathway in photosystem II.

The membrane-protein complex photosystem II (PSII) catalyzes photosynthetic water oxidation. Proton transfer plays an integral role in the catalytic cycle of water oxidation by maintaining charge balance to regulate and ensure the efficiency of the process. The hydrogen-bonded amino-acid residues that surround the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) provide an efficient pathway for proton removal.

D1-S169A Substitution of Photosystem II Perturbs Water Oxidation.

In photosystem II (PSII), photosynthetic water oxidation occurs at the tetramanganese-calcium cluster that cycles through light-induced intermediates (S-S) to produce oxygen from two substrate waters. The surrounding hydrogen-bonded amino acid residues and waters form channels that facilitate proton transfer and substrate water delivery, thereby ensuring efficient water oxidation. The residue D1-S169 lies in the "narrow" channel and forms hydrogen bonds with the MnCaO cluster via waters W1 and Wx.

Multiple Myeloma 1 Transcription Factor Is Superior to CD138 as a Marker of Plasma Cells in Endometrium.

Chronic endometritis is characterized by plasma cell (PC) infiltration of endometrial stroma. Identification of PCs can be challenging by routine hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain due to the low numbers of PCs or to their being obscured by other cells in the stroma. CD138 is widely used as an ancillary immunohistochemistry stain to identify PCs; however, it has a high background reaction.

Impact of D1-V185 on the Water Molecules That Facilitate O Formation by the Catalytic MnCaO Cluster in Photosystem II.

The oxidations of the O-evolving MnCaO cluster in Photosystem II are coupled to the release of protons to the thylakoid lumen via one or more proton egress pathways. These pathways are comprised of extensive networks of hydrogen-bonded water molecules and amino acid side chains. The hydrophobic residue, D1-V185, is adjacent to numerous water molecules in one of these pathways.

Substitution of the D1-Asn site in photosystem II of cyanobacteria mimics the chloride-binding characteristics of spinach photosystem II.

Photoinduced water oxidation at the O-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) is a complex process involving a tetramanganese-calcium cluster that is surrounded by a hydrogen-bonded network of water molecules, chloride ions, and amino acid residues. Although the structure of the OEC has remained conserved over eons of evolution, significant differences in the chloride-binding characteristics exist between cyanobacteria and higher plants. An analysis of amino acid residues in and around the OEC has identified residue 87 in the D1 subunit as the only significant difference between PSII in cyanobacteria and higher plants.

Androgen deprivation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer: a focus on pharmacokinetics.

Medical therapy has undergone many changes as our understanding of prostate cancer cell biology has improved. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) remains the mainstay of therapy for metastatic disease. Metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is an important concern since we are unable to stop progression with currently available agents.

Practical Immunohistochemistry in Neoplastic Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Liver, Biliary Tract, and Pancreas.

Context: - Immunomarkers with diagnostic, therapeutic, or prognostic values have been increasingly used to maximize the benefits of clinical management of patients with neoplastic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tract, and pancreas.

Objectives: - To review the characteristics of immunomarkers that are commonly used in surgical pathology practice for neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tract, and pancreas, and to summarize the clinical usefulness of immunomarkers that have been discovered in recent years in these fields.

Data Sources: - Data sources include literature review, authors' research data, and personal practice experience.

Renal cell carcinoma: the search for a reliable biomarker.

One particular challenge in the treatment of kidney tumors is the range of histologies and tumor phenotypes a renal mass can represent. A kidney tumor can range from benign (e.g.

Evidence from FTIR Difference Spectroscopy That a Substrate HO Molecule for O Formation in Photosystem II Is Provided by the Ca Ion of the Catalytic MnCaO Cluster.

The O-producing MnCaO catalyst in photosystem II oxidizes two water molecules (substrate) to produce one O molecule. Considerable evidence supports the identification of one of the two substrate waters as the MnCaO cluster's oxo bridge known as O. The identity of the second substrate water molecule is less clear.

Value of SATB2 immunostaining in the distinction between small intestinal and colorectal adenocarcinomas.

Aims: Special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) is a novel immunomarker that is expressed in glandular cells of the lower gastrointestinal tract with retained expression in the majority of primary and metastatic colorectal adenocarcinomas (CRCs). Because of its tissue specificity, SATB2 has been shown to be a clinically useful marker to distinguish CRC from non-CRC. In this study, we investigated whether or not SATB2 can help differentiate CRC from small intestinal adenocarcinoma (SIA), a practical diagnostic challenge due to their morphological and immunophenotypic similarities.

Gemcitabine Plus Radiation Therapy for High-Grade Glioma: Long-Term Results of a Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of gemcitabine plus radiation therapy (RT) in this phase 1 study of patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma (HGG).

Patients And Methods: Between 2004 and 2012, 29 adults with HGG were enrolled. After any extent of resection, RT (60 Gy over 6 weeks) was given concurrent with escalating doses of weekly gemcitabine.

An adapter ligation-mediated PCR method for high-throughput mapping of T-DNA inserts in the Arabidopsis genome.

Agrobacterium transfer DNA (T-DNA) is an effective plant mutagen that has been used to create sequence-indexed T-DNA insertion lines in Arabidopsis thaliana as a tool to study gene function. Creating T-DNA insertion lines requires a dependable method for locating the site of insertion in the genome. In this protocol, we describe an adapter ligation-mediated PCR method that we have used to screen a mutant library and identify over 150,000 T-DNA insertional mutants; the method can also be applied to map individual mutants.

Genome-wide insertional mutagenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Over 225,000 independent Agrobacterium transferred DNA (T-DNA) insertion events in the genome of the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana have been created that represent near saturation of the gene space. The precise locations were determined for more than 88,000 T-DNA insertions, which resulted in the identification of mutations in more than 21,700 of the approximately 29,454 predicted Arabidopsis genes. Genome-wide analysis of the distribution of integration events revealed the existence of a large integration site bias at both the chromosome and gene levels.