Nuclear export of phosphorylated C/EBPbeta mediates the inhibition of albumin expression by TNF-alpha.

Decreased albumin expression is a frequent feature of cachexia patients afflicted with chronic diseases, including cancer, and a major contributor to their morbidity. Here we show that tumor necrosis-alpha (TNF-alpha) treatment of primary mouse hepatocytes or TNF-alpha overexpression in a mouse model of cachexia induces oxidative stress, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expression and phosphorylation of C/EBPbeta on Ser239, within the nuclear localization signal, thus inducing its nuclear export, which inhibits transcription from the albumin gene. SIN-1, a NO donor, duplicated the TNF-alpha effects on hepatocytes.

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia caused by persistent cough.

We report a rare case of traumatic abdominal wall hernia caused by persistent and severe cough. We believe this is the first reported case of such an entity. We present computed tomography findings and a pertinent review of the literature.

Modulation by thyroid hormones of the development of external plexiform layer in the rat olfactory bulb.

Width of the external plexiform layer in olfactory bulbs and mean area of mitral and granule cell dendritic and glial processes were measured of normal, hypo- and hyperthyroid rat pups at the age of 24 days. Hypothyroidism was induced by treating the rats with a reversible goitrogen 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil dissolved in their drinking water, while the hyperthyroid group was given water containing thyroxine. The 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil treatment was begun on gestational day 18 and on the day of birth.

The superficial femoral vein. A potentially lethal misnomer.

Objective: To assess the potential for error in interpretation of venous duplex reports that use the term "superficial femoral vein."

Design: Three surveys conducted by mail.

Setting: Three multispecialty medical groups, anatomy departments of all US medical schools, and vascular laboratories.

Maturation of the GFAP-immunopositive glial network is delayed in the olfactory bulbs of rats subjected to early, low-dose X-irradiation.

Young rats were subjected to low-level, repeated doses of x-irradiation from a Co60 source and examined for the presence and arrangement of their GFAP-immunopositive system at the light and electron microscopic levels. In 2-week-old control rats, labelled cells were already distributed homogeneously throughout the bulb, while in the experimental animals, a (newborn- and early postnatal-type) radial arrangement of immunoreactive fibres continued to persist even until the end of the fourth postnatal week. This delay in the maturation of the GFAP-immunopositive glial system may contribute to the hindered development of the bulbar neurones, neuronal connections, and field potentials, as found in earlier studies.

Neuropeptide tyrosine is expressed in ensheathing cells around the olfactory nerves in the rat olfactory bulb.

The olfactory bulbs of young and adult normal rats and of colchicine-treated rats and of some other species were analysed for the presence of neuropeptide Y and neuropeptide Y messenger RNA, using immunohistochemistry at the light- and electron-microscopic levels and with in situ hybridization. In the rat and mouse, but not in monkey and guinea-pig, neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity and neuropeptide Y messenger RNA were observed in ensheathing cells in the olfactory nerve layer of the olfactory bulb and within nerve bundles in the olfactory mucosa. Double staining experiments revealed that neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity was often present in a restricted compartment, mainly the Golgi apparatus, of S-100 protein-positive ensheathing cells.

Low-dose X-irradiation reduces neuronal and glial cell populations in the juxtaglomerular region of rat olfactory bulb.

Rats were subjected to fragmented, low-dose, whole body X-ray irradiation from last prenatal to third postnatal week of life. Consequences of the irradiation were examined at the cellular and synaptic level and evaluated by light- and electron microscopy. The fate of several cell types of the glomerular layer was assessed by semi-quantitative morphometry.

Terminal arborizations of olfactory nerve fibers in the glomeruli of the olfactory bulb.

The glomerulus of the olfactory bulb may serve as a fundamental organizational unit for odor representation. In this context, the axons of olfactory receptor cells with similar response spectra may converge in specific glomeruli. While the topography between the olfactory epithelium and the olfactory bulb glomeruli has been explored, the characteristics of primary afferent terminal fields within glomeruli are poorly understood.

Effect of daily oral vitamin D and calcium therapy, hypophosphatemia, and endogenous 1-25 dihydroxycholecalciferol on parathyroid hormone and phosphate wasting in renal transplant recipients.

Ten stable, normocalcemic renal transplant patients with good allograft function, hyperparathyroidism, and variable hypophosphatemia were treated for 2 to 9 months with oral calcium carbonate and replacement doses of vitamin D analogues. Parathyroid hormone levels (PTH) and renal phosphate wasting were not autonomous or fixed but decreased with therapy. Although serum 1-25(OH)2D3 levels could be shown to rise appropriately during oral vitamin D therapy and fall afterwards, a separate study in a larger group of patients showed no effect of elevated parathyroid hormone or hypophosphatemia to increase endogenous 1-25(OH)2D3 levels.

Fast regeneration of the olfactory nerve in goldfish: fine structure and behaviour.

Normal olfaction-guided behaviour in goldfish returns surprisingly fast after bilateral transection of the olfactory nerve (ON). In order to find correlation between morphological changes and behaviour we performed parallel studies on the behaviour of the fish and the ultrastructure of the olfactory bulb in axotomised fish. Signs of degeneration were most prominent between the 4th and 6th day post-operatively.

Early X-irradiation of rats. 5. Influence of irradiation on the development of extracellular field potentials evoked by antidromic stimulation.

Rat pups were treated by low, fragmented and repeated doses of X-rays, from late prenatal days until the end of the third postnatal week. Extracellular field potentials, evoked by antidromic stimulation of the lateral olfactory tract were recorded in different layers of the olfactory bulb at 1, 2, 3 and 6 weeks of age, from control (non-irradiated) and experimental rats. Development of the field potentials was analysed in both groups of animals.

Medicine and ethics. How to allocate transplantable organs.

Organ transplantation has made tremendous strides in the last decade. The demand for transplantable organs has far outstripped the supply; waiting lists have grown long and patients are dying for want of vital organs. Therefore policies and criteria that guide the allocation of transplantable organs become ever more important.

Cholecystectomy and hepatic artery injuries.

This study included 71 cadavers used for anatomical dissection that had undergone cholecystectomies. Of these five, 7% had some type of hepatic artery injury. The subjects all had survived at least 1 year after cholecystectomy and had normal livers.

An unbiased estimation of the total number of synapses in the superior cervical ganglion of adult rats established by the disector method. Lack of change after long-lasting sodium bromide administration.

Previous physiological and morphological studies suggested that sodium bromide promotes synaptogenesis of implanted cholinergic nerves in the superior cervical ganglion of adult rats. To check whether sodium bromide also modifies synaptic numbers in the intact ganglion, quantitative electron microscopy was used to determine the total number of synaptic junctions in the superior cervical ganglion of adult rats. Untreated controls were compared with animals which drank water containing 280 mg ml-1 sodium bromide for 7 days.

Early X-irradiation of rats-4. Decrease in phosphorylation of low molecular weight proteins in the olfactory bulb accompanies the loss of GABAergic microneurons.

X-irradiation of neonatal rats by low, fragmented and repeated doses reduces or eliminates several phosphoproteins (16, 18 and 19 Da) in an extract of the olfactory bulb. This coincides with a dramatic reduction of the number of GABAergic granule cells. The phosphorylation of these proteins was specifically stimulated in control animals by Ca(2+)/calmodulin, but not by cyclic adenosine triphosphate.

Abdominal catastrophes and other unusual events in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.

Primary bacterial peritonitis and catheter-associated infections compose the large majority of abdominal events in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Yet occasionally primary pathology involving the abdominal viscera develops, and surgery is frequently considered. The early manifestations of intraabdominal inflammation or bleeding in patients undergoing CAPD depend on the pathological process, its access to the peritoneal cavity, and whether generalized bacterial peritonitis supervenes to obscure helpful physical findings.

Recent trends in the management of desmoid tumors. Summary of 19 cases and review of the literature.

Recent advances in the understanding of desmoid tumor biology affect therapeutic choices. This series of 19 patients and review of the literature outlines historic perspectives and discusses the options in the management of these locally aggressive tumors. Desmoid tumors tend to grow steadily, regardless of tumor location.

Lack of effect of oxygen-radical scavenging systems in the preserved reperfused rabbit kidney.

Previous studies showed the beneficial effects of superoxide dismutase +/- catalase in perfusion-preserved rabbit kidneys but failed to show benefit in flush-cooled organs. The current studies undertook to evaluate scavengers, xanthine oxidase inhibitors, and agents that prevent the release of myeloperoxidase in 3 systems: kidneys preserved by perfusion or by flush cooling for 24 hr, studied immediately, and warm ischemia-injured kidneys evaluated after a 24-hr recovery period. In none of these groups could we demonstrate any protective effects against preservational or warm ischemic injury by the above modalities.