"I can't let anything go:" A case study with psychological testing of a patient with pathologic hoarding.

Pathologic hoarding is a symptom generally recognized as related to obsessional dynamics (Gutheil, 1959). The hoarder cannot, without great anxiety, tolerate separation from or dispose of his possessions. Thus the hoarder accumulates vast amount of possessions, often in such amounts as to compromise freedom of movement in the residence.

The role of the conserved COOH-terminal triad in alphaA-crystallin aggregation and functionality.

Purpose: The sequentially variable COOH-terminal region of small heat shock protein superfamily members usually contains a conserved IXI/V feature where X is typically a proline. When present in solved sHsp crystal structures (e.g.

NH2-terminal stabilization of small heat shock protein structure: a comparison of two NH2-terminal deletion mutants of alphaA-crystallin.

Purpose: To assess the role of the NH2-terminal in alphaA-crystallin folding and chaperone-like activity.

Methods: Two NH2-terminal deletion mutants of alphaA-crystallin were generated by standard mutagenesis methods, one with and one without a leader sequence in place of the first 50 residues. Aggregate size of each before and after thermal stress was assessed by FPLC, and chaperone-like activity was assessed using DTT-induced insulin denaturation.

N-terminal control of small heat shock protein oligomerization: changes in aggregate size and chaperone-like function.

The small heat shock protein superfamily is composed of proteins from throughout the phylogenetic spectrum that are induced upon environmental stress. Their structural stability under stress derives in large part from the central region of the proteins, which forms two beta sheets held together by hydrophobic interactions and appears to be present in all superfamily members. The length, sequence, and amino acid composition of the N- and C-terminals, in contrast, are quite variable.

The mechanism of presbyopia.

Accommodation in humans refers to the ability of the lens to change shape in order to bring near objects into focus. Accommodative loss begins during childhood, with symptomatic presbyopia, or presbyopia that affects one's day to day activities, striking during midlife. While symptomatic presbyopia has traditionally been treated with reading glasses or contact lenses, a number of surgical interventions and devices are being actively developed in an attempt to restore at least some level of accommodation.