Recurrent hydropneumothorax as a presenting feature of malignant mesothelioma.

A 73-year-old former smoker with previous occupational exposure to asbestos presented with a pneumothorax that was initially managed by simple aspiration. Despite this, it re-accumulated and a bronchopleural fistula was suspected. A video-assisted thoracoscopic procedure was performed and revealed an abnormally thickened pleura that turned out to be a mesothelioma.

Short-wavelength light sensitivity of circadian, pupillary, and visual awareness in humans lacking an outer retina.

As the ear has dual functions for audition and balance, the eye has a dual role in detecting light for a wide range of behavioral and physiological functions separate from sight. These responses are driven primarily by stimulation of photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (pRGCs) that are most sensitive to short-wavelength ( approximately 480 nm) blue light and remain functional in the absence of rods and cones. We examined the spectral sensitivity of non-image-forming responses in two profoundly blind subjects lacking functional rods and cones (one male, 56 yr old; one female, 87 yr old).

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in athletes-should we screen?

The fact that exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) may be both over- and underdiagnosed in athletes has led to calls for widespread screening for the condition. This article assesses such a strategy by employing the standard framework used when evaluating any screening policy. This approach highlights a number of concerns and allows recommendations to help optimize the success of such a strategy if it were to be implemented.

PQ segment depression in a patient with a benign atrial tumor.

A 56 year-old woman presented with palpitations. Her ECG revealed PQ segment depression and a prolonged QTc. Echocardiogram revealed a 2 x 3 cm right atrial mass.

Structure and reactivity of adsorbed fibronectin films on mica.

Understanding the interactions of adsorbed fibronectin (Fn) with other biomolecules is important for many biomedical applications. Fn is found in almost all body fluids, in the extracellular matrix, and plays a fundamental role in many biological processes. This study found that the structure (conformation, orientation) and reactivity of Fn adsorbed onto mica is dependent on the Fn surface concentration.

Sex pheromone production in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, is mediated by store-operated Ca2+ channels.

In most female moths, pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) regulates sex pheromone production by stimulating an influx of extracellular Ca(2+). Little is known about the plasma membrane channel or how the PBAN stimulus is communicated to the channel. Fluorescent Ca(2+) imaging techniques confirmed PBAN-induced Ca(2+) influx in the silkworm, Bombyx mori, and showed that the PBAN response is reduced with repeated stimulation.

FXPRL-amide peptides induce ecdysteroidogenesis through a G-protein coupled receptor expressed in the prothoracic gland of Bombyx mori.

The FXPRL-amide peptide family (pyrokinin/PBAN family) consists of insect peptides that function broadly in insect life processes and are characterized by a conserved C-terminal motif. In the silkworm, Bombyx mori, sex pheromone biosynthesis and induction of embryonic diapause are regulated by peptides from this family. To elucidate other functions of Bombyx FXPRL-amide peptides, we analyzed the tissue expression patterns of two known Bombyx G-protein coupled receptors for these peptides.

Identification of common genetic variation that modulates alternative splicing.

Alternative splicing of genes is an efficient means of generating variation in protein function. Several disease states have been associated with rare genetic variants that affect splicing patterns. Conversely, splicing efficiency of some genes is known to vary between individuals without apparent ill effects.

Atomic force microscopy and surface plasmon resonance investigation of fibronectin interactions with group B streptococci.

The interactions of fibronectin (Fn) with group B streptococci (GBS) were investigated using the atomic force microscope (AFM) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensing. Submonolayer amounts of Fn were immobilized onto the AFM tip by two different methods, using either a sulfosuccinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl) cycholhexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC) linker or a pyridyldithio poly(ethylene glycol) succinimidylpropionate (NHS-PEG-PDP) linker. Each step of both immobilization methods was characterized using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Efficacy of a single evening dose of syrup containing paracetamol, dextromethorphan hydrobromide, doxylamine succinate and ephedrine sulfate in subjects with multiple common cold symptoms.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a single night-time dose of a syrup containing paracetamol, dextromethorphan hydrobromide, doxylamine succinate and ephedrine sulfate in subjects with multiple cold symptoms.

Materials: A syrup containing 15 mg dextromethorphan hydrobromide, 7.5 mg doxylamine succinate, 600 mg paracetamol and 8 mg ephedrine sulfate (Wick MediNait produced by WICK Pharma, Germany, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble GmbH; test syrup) or placebo (placebo syrup) for oral administration.

The Bombyx mori sex pheromone biosynthetic pathway is not mediated by cAMP.

In most moths, sex pheromone production is regulated by pheromone biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide (PBAN). How the extracellular PBAN signal is turned into a biological response has been the focus of numerous studies. In the classical scheme of signal transduction, activated G proteins relay the extracellular signal to downstream effector molecules such as calcium channels and adenylyl cyclase.

Molecular mechanisms underlying sex pheromone production in the silkmoth, Bombyx mori: characterization of the molecular components involved in bombykol biosynthesis.

Many species of female moths produce sex pheromones to attract conspecific males. To date, sex pheromones from more than 570 moth species have been chemically identified. Most moth species utilize Type I pheromones that consist of straight-chain compounds 10-18 carbons in length with a functional group of a primary alcohol, aldehyde, or acetate ester and usually with several double bonds.

A novel approach to central venous catheter thrombosis in a patient with cystic fibrosis.

Catheter directed thrombolysis has been described as a treatment for large pulmonary emboli resistant to systemic therapy [Kelly P, Carroll N, Grant C, Barrett C, Kocka V. Successful treatment of massive pulmonary embolism with prolonged catheter-directed thrombolysis. Heart Vessels 2006;21:124?6].

Endoluminal suturing may overcome the limitations of clip closure of a gaping wide colon perforation (with videos).

Background: It is unclear whether large gaping perforations of the colon can be closed by the endoluminal route.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and the outcome of closure of large perforations of colon with clips and sutures by using through-the-endoscope novel devices.

Design: Prospective animal study.

Nebulised DNase in the treatment of life threatening asthma.

A 25-year-old pregnant patient developed life-threatening asthma refractory to all standard treatment including anaesthetic agents. Ventilatory pressures continued to rise with impending cardio-respiratory arrest. The introduction of nebulised endotracheal DNase however resulted in a rapid and dramatic improvement with good clinical outcome.

Fine particulate chemical composition and light extinction at Meadview, AZ.

The concentration of fine particulate nitrate, sulfate, and carbonaceous material was measured for 12-hr day-night samples using diffusion denuder samplers during the Project Measurement of Haze and Visibility Effects (MOHAVE) July to August 1992 Summer Intensive study at Meadview, AZ, just west of Grand Canyon National Park. Organic material was measured by several techniques. Only the diffusion denuder method measured the semivolatile organic material.

Controlled trial of immediate endoluminal closure of colon perforations in a porcine model by use of a novel clip device (with videos).

Background: Although endoluminal closure of a small perforation of the colon is technically feasible, the outcome of such a closure is unclear.

Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate the feasibility and the outcome of endoluminal closure of a small perforation of the colon with a novel clip device, the InScope MultiClip Applier (IMCA), and to assess the number of clips required for successful closure.

Design: Prospective controlled study.

Localization of a long-range cis-regulatory element of IL13 by allelic transcript ratio mapping.

It appears that, for many genes, the two alleles possessed by an individual may produce different amounts of transcript. When such allelic differences in transcription are observed for some individuals but not others, a plausible explanation is genetic variation in the cis-acting elements that regulate the gene in question. Here we describe a novel analytical approach that uses such observations, combined with genotyping data from the HapMap project, to define the genomic location of cis-acting regulatory elements.

High-affinity interaction between fibronectin and the group B streptococcal C5a peptidase is unaffected by a naturally occurring four-amino-acid deletion that eliminates peptidase activity.

The streptococcal C5a peptidase (ScpB) of group B streptococci (GBS) is found in virtually all clinical GBS isolates and is required for mucosal colonization in a neonatal mouse model. ScpB inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis by enzymatically cleaving the complement component C5a. We previously identified a second function of ScpB as a fibronectin (Fn) adhesin using phage display.

Sleep and wakefulness out of phase with internal biological time impairs learning in humans.

Sleep-wake homeostatic and internal circadian timedependent brain processes interact to regulate human brain function so that alert wakefulness is promoted during the daytime and consolidated sleep is promoted at nighttime. The consequence of chronically altering the normal relationship between these processes for human brain function is largely unknown. We tested cognitive and vigilance performance while subjects lived in the laboratory for over a month.