Performance Equivalence and Validation of the Soleris Automated System for Quantitative Microbial Content Testing Using Pure Suspension Cultures.

Using United States Pharmacopeia-National Formulary (USP-NF) general method <1223> guidance, the Soleris(®) automated system and reagents (Nonfermenting Total Viable Count for bacteria and Direct Yeast and Mold for yeast and mold) were validated, using a performance equivalence approach, as an alternative to plate counting for total microbial content analysis using five representative microbes: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus brasiliensis. Detection times (DTs) in the alternative automated system were linearly correlated to CFU/sample (R(2) = 0.94-0.

Cannabinor, a selective cannabinoid-2 receptor agonist, improves bladder emptying in rats with partial urethral obstruction.

Purpose: We studied the effects of chronic treatment with the novel selective cannabinoid 2 receptor agonist cannabinor (Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Cincinnati, Ohio) on bladder function in conscious rats with partial urethral obstruction and on the functional properties of isolated detrusor muscle.

Materials And Methods: A total of 24 female Sprague-Dawley® rats with surgically created partial urethral obstruction received daily intraperitoneal injections of 3 mg/kg cannabinor (12) or saline as controls (12) for 2 weeks. Cystometry was done, the rats were sacrificed and the bladders were prepared for in vitro studies.

Urothelial beta-3 adrenergic receptors in the rat bladder.

Aims: To investigate the distribution of beta-3 adrenergic receptors (β(3)ARs) in the rat bladder and to examine the contribution of urothelial β(3)ARs to agonist-induced suppression of bladder reflexes and relaxation of smooth muscle.

Methods: Bladder tissue was collected from 8- to 10-month old female SD rats. In some samples, the urothelium was surgically separated from the smooth muscle.

β-Adrenergic receptor subtype expression in myocyte and non-myocyte cells in human female bladder.

β(3)-Adrenergic receptor agonists are currently under clinical development for the treatment of overactive bladder, a condition that is prevalent in postmenopausal women. These agents purportedly relax bladder smooth muscle through a direct action at the myocyte β(3)-receptor. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of the individual beta-adrenergic receptors in full thickness sections from ageing human female bladder.

Effects of beta3-adrenergic receptor activation on rat urinary bladder hyperactivity induced by ovariectomy.

Voiding dysfunctions, including increased voiding frequency, urgency, or incontinence, are prevalent in the postmenopausal population. Beta(3)-adrenergic receptor (beta(3)AR) agonists, which relax bladder smooth muscle, are being developed to treat these conditions. We utilized the rat ovariectomy (OVX) model to investigate the effect of ovarian hormone depletion on bladder function and the potential for beta(3)AR agonists to treat bladder hyperactivity in this setting.

AMD3100 is a CXCR7 ligand with allosteric agonist properties.

The bicyclam AMD3100 is known as a small synthetic inhibitor of the CXCL12-binding chemokine receptor CXCR4. Here, we show that AMD3100 also binds to the alternative CXCL12 receptor CXCR7. CXCL12 or AMD3100 alone activate beta-arrestin recruitment to CXCR7, which we identify as a previously unreported signaling pathway of CXCR7.

The Y2 receptor mediates increases in collateral-dependent blood flow in a model of peripheral arterial insufficiency.

We have utilized a rat model of peripheral artery disease (PAD) to examine whether the known angiogenic activity of the Y(2) receptor would translate into a meaningful increase in collateral blood flow. The maximal increase in collateral blood flow capacity of approximately 60% (p<0.001) was obtained with a 10microg/kgday (IA infusion, 14 days) of either PYY or PYY(3-36) and did not differ from that obtained with a maximally angiogenic dose of VEGF(165).

Characterization of neuropilin-1 structural features that confer binding to semaphorin 3A and vascular endothelial growth factor 165.

Neuropilin-1 (Npn-1) is a receptor for both semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) and vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF(165)). To understand the role Npn-1 plays as a receptor for these structurally and functionally unrelated ligands, we set out to identify structural features of Npn-1 that confer binding to Sema3A or VEGF(165). We constructed Npn-1 variants containing deletions within the "a" and "b" domains of Npn-1.

[Hydrocolonic sonography--potentials and limitations of ultrasonographic diagnosis of colon diseases].

Hydrocolonic sonography - potentials and limitations of ultrasonographic diagnosis of colon diseases. Ultrasonic examination has become increasingly important in the diagnosis of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In neoplastic diseases of the large intestine, however, the diagnostic value of conventional transabdominal sonography is limited.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 and neuropilin-1 form a receptor complex that is responsible for the differential signaling potency of VEGF(165) and VEGF(121).

The two most abundant secreted isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF(165) and VEGF(121)) are formed as a result of differential splicing of the VEGF-A gene. VEGF(165) and VEGF(121) share similar affinities at the isolated VEGF receptor (VEGFR)-2 but have been previously demonstrated to have differential ability to activate VEGFR-2-mediated effects on endothelial cells. Herein we investigate whether the recently described VEGF(165) isoform-specific receptor neuropilin-1 (Npn-1) is responsible for the difference in potency observed for these ligands.

Lanceolate hair-J (lahJ): a mouse model for human hair disorders.

Lanceolate hair-J (lahJ) arose spontaneously in 1994 on the DBA/1LacJ inbred background at The Jackson Laboratory. Mutant mice were runted, alopecic, and lacked vibrissae. As they aged, their skin wrinkled.

Sex difference in the validity of vertebral deformities as an index of prevalent vertebral osteoporotic fractures: a population survey of older men and women.

Morphometric methods have been developed for standardized assessment of vertebral deformities in clinical and epidemiologic studies of spinal osteoporosis. However, vertebral deformity may be caused by a variety of other conditions. To examine the validity of morphometrically assessed vertebral deformities as an index of osteoporotic vertebral fractures, we developed an algorithm for radiological differential classification (RDC) based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative assessment of lateral spinal radiographs.

Severe osteoporosis in familial Hajdu-Cheney syndrome: progression of acro-osteolysis and osteoporosis during long-term follow-up.

Hajdu-Cheney syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited osteodysplastic bone disease with the hallmarks of acro-osteolysis, skull deformations, and generalized osteoporosis. Very few patients have been followed long-term with respect to the prognosis of acro-osteolysis and osteoporosis. Here we describe a 39-year-old woman and her 19-year-old daughter who are both affected with the Hajdu-Cheney syndrome.

[Diagnosis of chronic inflammatory bowel disease by ultrasonography].

Abdominal sonography as a noninvasive diagnostic method has proven to be of great value in evaluating patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. The ultrasound pattern of bowel inflammation is characterized by a thickened and hypoechoic inflamed bowel wall, which appears like a target on transverse scans. Both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis can be detected with great sensitivity by abdominal ultrasonography.

Clinical stable systemic mastocytosis with interferon alpha-2b therapy.

Systemic mastocytosis (SM) with progressive infiltration of various organs by mast cells is a rare disease with a mean survival of 2 years. So far there is no established therapy. We describe a patient with progressive mastocytosis who had a clinical response to interferon alpha-2b 3 x 5 Mio U s.

[Coincidence of primary sclerosing cholangitis and sarcoidosis--case report and review of the literature].

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and sarcoidosis are diseases of unknown etiology which are rarely associated. Here we report the case of a 31-year-old man with PSC and pulmonary sarcoidosis. In addition, we include a brief review on PSC and sarcoidosis, in particular with respect to etiopathogenesis and diagnosis.

[Ultrasound guided puncture of the portal vein in transjugular intrahepatic portasystemic stent shunt (TIPSS)].

Successful completion of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic stentshunt (TIPSS) relies on knowledge of the individual hepatic vascular anatomy. The patients referred for TIPSS have an increased risk of contrast-medium-induced renal failure, and therefore the potential for a complete angiographic work-up during the procedure is limited. The same patient population also carries an increased risk of bleeding, which necessitates a rather accurate guiding technique for portal punctures.

Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease by hydrocolonic sonography.

Objectives: The entire length of the colon, starting at the rectosigmoid junction and ending at the cecum, can be visualized by transabdominal sonography after retrograde water instillation into the colon. By this method, termed hydrocolonic sonography, it is possible to evaluate in detail the lumen, the colon wall, and the surrounding tissue. Five layers of different echogenicity can be differentiated within the colon wall.

[Parapneumonic ARDS. The radiomorphologic transition of a pneumonia into an ARDS].

Serial chest X-rays of 14 patients with parapneumonic ARDS (PARDS) were analysed retrospectively. Typical findings on chest X-ray films occurred after a latency period of 12-24 h following the clinical start of PARDS. We found some "early signs" of PARDS, such as central interstitial paravascular edema (14/14), bilateral hilar infiltrates (9/14) and the absence of pleural effusion (12/14).