Post-Myocardial Infarction (MI) Left Ventricular Free Wall Rupture Managed Conservatively.

Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) is an uncommon but often fatal complication of acute myocardial infarction. LVFWR is managed with hemodynamic stabilization and is typically followed by surgical intervention with varying approaches depending on the type of LVFWR. A 78-year-old male with a history of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) was admitted with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Carotid access for transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A meta-analysis.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the feasibility and safety of carotid access transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) by performing a meta-analysis of published cases.

Background: Several case series and regional data have provided initial basis for carotid access TAVR in patients with prohibitive femoral approach. We performed this meta-analysis to provide further evidence of feasibility and safety of carotid TAVR.

Prostate cancer radiotherapy in Austria: overview on number of patients, intention to treat, and treatment techniques based on data from 2007.

Purpose: Aim of this analysis was to assess the current status of prostate cancer radiotherapy in Austria and compare these numbers to patients treated with surgery.

Material And Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all 14 Austrian departments asking about numbers of prostate cancer patients treated and indication of treatment (primary, postoperative), as well as the treatment technique used (3D-CRT, IMRT, brachytherapy), treatment volumes (with/without pelvic irradiation), dose applied, and differences in treatment concepts. Data investigated were based on the year 2007.

Sorting and function of peroxisomal membrane proteins.

Peroxisomes are subcellular organelles and are present in virtually all eukaryotic cells. Characteristic features of these organelles are their inducibility and their functional versatility. Their importance in the intermediary metabolism of cells is exemplified by the discovery of several inborn, fatal peroxisomal errors in man, the so-called peroxisomal disorders.

Transformation of carbon tetrachloride in an anaerobic packed-bed reactor without addition of another electron donor.

Carbon tetrachloride (52 microM) was biodegraded for more than 72% in an anaerobic packed-bed reactor without addition of an external electron donor. The chloride mass balance demonstrated that all carbon tetrachloride transformed was completely dechlorinated. Chloroform and dichloromethane were sometimes also found as transformation products, but neither accumulated to significant levels in comparison to the amount of carbon tetrachloride transformed.

Thallium-201 uptake with negative iodine-131 scintigraphy and serum thyroglobulin in metastatic oxyphilic papillary thyroid carcinoma.

We report a case of a 48-yr-old woman who underwent surgery because of papillary oxyphilic thyroid carcinoma pT3. After total thyroidectomy, we administered 2960 MBq (131)I for ablation of the residual tissue. initial follow-up visits showed no clinical, radiological or scintigraphic evidence of residual or metastatic thyroid tissue.

Brefeldin A interferes with peroxisomal protein sorting in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha.

We have studied the effect of brefeldin A (BFA), a fungal toxin that interferes with coated vesicle formation, on the biogenesis of peroxisomes in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha. Addition of BFA (20 microg/ml) to cultures of H. polymorpha partially inhibited the development of peroxisomes and resulted in the reversible accumulation of newly synthesized peroxisomal membrane and matrix proteins at the endoplasmic reticulum.

Performance of a styrene-degrading biofilter containing the yeast Exophiala jeanselmei.

A general mathematical model developed for a description of pollutant degradation in a biofilm was used to evaluate the performance of a biofilter for the purification of styrene-containing gas. The biofilter contained perlite as an inert support on which a biofilm was present composed of a mixed microbial population containing the fungus Exophiala jeanselmei as a major styrene-degrading microorganism. Although styrene is a moderately hydrophobic compound, the biofilter was reaction limited at a styrene gas phase concentration of 0.

Transformation of carbon tetrachloride under sulfate reducing conditions.

The removal of carbon tetrachloride under sulfate reducing conditions was studied in an anaerobic packed-bed reactor. Carbon tetrachloride, up to a concentration of 30 microM, was completely converted. Chloroform and dichloromethane were the main transformation products, but part of the carbon tetrachloride was also completely dechlorinated to unknown products.

Flavin adenine dinucleotide binding is the crucial step in alcohol oxidase assembly in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha.

We have studied the role of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) in the in vivo assembly of peroxisomal alcohol oxidase (AO) in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha. In previous studies, using a riboflavin (Rf) autotrophic mutant, an unequivocal judgement could not be made, since Rf-limitation led to a partial block of AO import in this mutant. This resulted in the accumulation of AO precursors in the cytosol where they remained separated from the putative peroxisomal AO assembly factors.

Styrene metabolism in Exophiala jeanselmei and involvement of a cytochrome P-450-dependent styrene monooxygenase.

The yeast-like fungus Exophiala jeanselmei degrades styrene via initial oxidation of the vinyl side chain to phenylacetic acid, which is subsequently hydroxylated to homogentisic acid. The initial reactions are catalyzed by a NADPH- and flavin adenine dinucleotide-dependent styrene monooxygenase, a styrene oxide isomerase, and a NAD(+)-dependent phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenase. The reduced CO-difference spectrum of microsomal preparations of styrene-grown cells shows a characteristic absorption maximum at 450 nm, which strongly suggests the involvement of a cytochrome P-450-dependent styrene monooxygenase.

Foreign gene expression in Hansenula polymorpha. A system for the synthesis of small functional peptides.

We describe the synthesis and purification of two functional peptides, namely human insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) and Xenopus laevis magainin II in Hansenula polymorpha after their synthesis as hybrid proteins fused to the C terminus of endogenous amine oxidase. The hybrid genes, placed under control of the H. polymorpha alcohol oxidase promoter (PAOX), were integrated into the genomic alcohol oxidase locus, yielding stable production strains.

Review: methylotrophic yeasts as factories for the production of foreign proteins.

In this contribution we discuss the potential of methylotrophic yeasts as hosts for the high level production of valuable foreign proteins. Recent relevant achievements on the intracellular production or secretion of proteins are summarized. Special attention is paid to a specific advantage of the use of methylotrophic yeasts, namely the possibility of accumulating the foreign gene products inside peroxisomes.

Restoration of peroxisome formation in two conditional peroxisome-deficient mutants of Hansenula polymorpha during growth of cells on specific organic nitrogen sources.

Expression of the peroxisome-deficient (Per-) phenotype by per mutants Hansenula of polymorpha is shown to be dependent on specific environmental conditions. Analysis of our collection of constitutive and conditional per mutants showed that, irrespective of the carbon source used, the mutants invariably lacked functional peroxisomes when ammonium sulphate was used as a nitrogen source. However, in two temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants, per13-6ts and per14-11ts, peroxisomes were present at the restrictive temperature when cells were grown on organic nitrogen sources which are known to induce peroxisomes in wild-type cells, namely D-alanine (for both mutants) or methylamine (for per14-11ts).

Characterization of peroxisome-deficient mutants of Hansenula polymorpha.

In the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha, approximately 25% of all methanol-utilization-defective (Mut-) mutants are affected in genes required for peroxisome biogenesis (PER genes). Previously, we reported that one group of per mutants, termed Pim-, are characterized by the presence of a few small peroxisomes with the bulk of peroxisomal enzymes located in the cytosol. Here, we describe a second major group of per mutants that were observed to be devoid of any peroxisome-like structure (Per-).

The Hansenula polymorpha PER3 gene is essential for the import of PTS1 proteins into the peroxisomal matrix.

PER genes are essential for the assembly of peroxisomes in Hansenula polymorpha. Here we describe the PER3 gene which was cloned by functional complementation of a H. polymorpha per3 mutant.

In vitro dissociation and re-assembly of peroxisomal alcohol oxidases of Hansenula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris.

We have studied the in vitro inactivation/dissociation and subsequent reactivation/re-assembly of peroxisomal alcohol oxidases (AO) from the yeasts Hansenula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris. Both proteins are homo-oligomers consisting of eight identical subunits, each containing one FAD as the prosthetic group. They were both rapidly inactivated upon incubation in 80% glycerol, due to their dissociation into the constituting subunits, which however still contained FAD.

Substrate uptake and utilization by a marine ultramicrobacterium.

A facultatively oligotrophic ultramicrobacterium (strain RB2256) isolated from an Alaskan fjord by extinction dilution in seawater, was grown in batch culture and under single- and dual-substrate-limitation of alanine and glucose in a chemostat. The nature of the uptake systems, and the uptake kinetics and utilization patterns of alanine and glucose were investigated. Glucose uptake was inducible, the system exhibited a narrow substrate specificity, and part of the uptake system was osmotic-shock-sensitive.

The N-terminus of amine oxidase of Hansenula polymorpha contains a peroxisomal targeting signal.

Here we describe the identification of the targeting sequence of peroxisomal amine oxidase (AMO) of H. polymorpha. Deletion analysis revealed that essential targeting information is located within the extreme N-terminal 16 amino acids.

Isolation and characterization of mutants impaired in the selective degradation of peroxisomes in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha.

We have isolated a collection of peroxisome degradation-deficient (Pdd-) mutants of the yeast Hansenula polymorpha which are impaired in the selective autophagy of alcohol oxidase-containing peroxisomes. Two genes, designated PDD1 and PDD2, have been identified by complementation and linkage analyses. In both mutant strains, the glucose-induced proteolytic turnover of peroxisomes is fully prevented.

The methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha contains an inducible import pathway for peroxisomal matrix proteins with an N-terminal targeting signal (PTS2 proteins).

Two main types of peroxisomal targeting signals have been identified that reside either at the extreme C terminus (PTS1) or the N terminus (PTS2) of the protein. In the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha the majority of peroxisomal matrix proteins are of the PTS1 type. Thus far, for H.

The Hansenula polymorpha PER1 gene is essential for peroxisome biogenesis and encodes a peroxisomal matrix protein with both carboxy- and amino-terminal targeting signals.

We describe the cloning of the Hansenula polymorpha PER1 gene and the characterization of the gene and its product, PER1p. The gene was cloned by functional complementation of a per1 mutant of H. polymorpha, which was impaired in the import of peroxisomal matrix proteins (Pim- phenotype).

Assembly of alcohol oxidase in peroxisomes of the yeast Hansenula polymorpha requires the cofactor flavin adenine dinucleotide.

The peroxisomal flavoprotein alcohol oxidase (AO) is an octamer (600 kDa) consisting of eight identical subunits, each of which contains one flavin adenine dinucleotide molecule as a cofactor. Studies on a riboflavin (Rf) auxotrophic mutant of the yeast Hansenula polymorpha revealed that limitation of the cofactor led to drastic effects on AO import and assembly as well as peroxisome proliferation. Compared to wild-type control cells Rf-limitation led to 1) reduced levels of AO protein, 2) reduced levels of correctly assembled and activated AO inside peroxisomes, 3) a partial inhibition of peroxisomal protein import, leading to the accumulation of precursors of matrix proteins in the cytosol, and 4) a significant increase in peroxisome number.