Bilateral cervical fistulas from heterotopic salivary gland tissues.

A 24-year-old male was referred to our department with intermittent clear drainage in both sides of the middle neck that did not increase while eating. On physical examination, there were fistulas in both sides of the neck, anterior to the sternocleidomastoid muscles. Fistulography revealed a 9-mm-long sinus from the left fistula, extending in the medial-caudal direction.

Rapid detection for primary screening of influenza A virus: microfluidic RT-PCR chip and electrochemical DNA sensor.

Rapid and definitive diagnosis is critical to the prevention of the spread of endemic human pathogenic viruses. Detection of variant specific genes by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has become a routine diagnostic test for accurate subtyping of RNA viruses, such as influenza. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of a continuous-flow polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic RT-PCR chip and disposable electrical printed (DEP) chips for rapid amplification and sensing of new influenza (AH1pdm) virus of swine-origin.

Cloning and expression of the gene encoding Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) alpha-galactosidase belonging to family 36.

The alpha-galactosidase gene of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) was cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli and characterized. It consisted of 1497 nucleotides encoding a protein of 499 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 57,385. The observed homology between the deduced amino acid sequences of the enzyme and alpha-galactosidase from Thermus thermophilus was over 40%.

The significance of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein in gastric cancer.

We examined the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in peripheral blood and drainage vein (plasma and serum), and then these were compared with local VEGF expression from gastric cancer. Peripheral blood plasma VEGF levels was increased in the patients with venous invasion, and moderately correlated with the number and ratio of lymph nodes with metastasis. Local VEGF expression was correlated significantly with tumor size, advanced stage and lymph node metastasis, but not correlated with peripheral VEGF levels.