Ultrasound features in trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) and trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) in a consecutive series of 47 cases.

Objective: To determine and list the variety of the predominant appeal signs leading to referral and their accompanying features found during specialized ultrasound evaluation in foetuses with trisomy 13 and trisomy 18.

Materials And Methods: In a period of thirty years, 1110 cases of foetal malformations were detected during specialized echographic evaluation. 47 Of these cases were foetuses with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18.

Imbalances between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in maternal serum during preterm labor.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during pregnancy and parturition. Aberrant ECM degradation by MMPs or an imbalance between MMPs and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of preterm labor, however few studies have investigated MMPs or TIMPs in maternal serum. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine serum concentrations of MMP-3, MMP-9 and all four TIMPs as well as MMP:TIMP ratios during term and preterm labor.

Bacterial diversity within the human subgingival crevice.

Molecular, sequence-based environmental surveys of microorganisms have revealed a large degree of previously uncharacterized diversity. However, nearly all studies of the human endogenous bacterial flora have relied on cultivation and biochemical characterization of the resident organisms. We used molecular methods to characterize the breadth of bacterial diversity within the human subgingival crevice by comparing 264 small subunit rDNA sequences from 21 clone libraries created with products amplified directly from subgingival plaque, with sequences obtained from bacteria that were cultivated from the same specimen, as well as with sequences available in public databases.

A single copy of apolipoprotein B-48 is present on the human chylomicron remnant.

Individuals homozygous for the e2 allele encoding apolipoprotein E exhibit a remnant removal defect and accumulate substantial levels of intestinally derived particles containing apolipoprotein B-48 (apoB-48). Such lipoproteins were isolated from the plasma of E2/E2 individuals, and further purified by affinity chromatography using a polyclonal antibody specific for selective binding and removal of apoB-100-containing lipoproteins. The unbound lipoproteins, termed chylomicron remnants, were particles with average hydrated diameters of 31.