Oligomerization and neurotoxicity of the amyloid ADan peptide implicated in familial Danish dementia.

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder, which is pathologically characterized by widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy, parenchymal protein deposits and neurofibrillary degeneration. FDD is associated with mutation in the BRI gene. In FDD a decamer duplication between codons 265 and 266 in the 3' region of the BRI gene originates an amyloid peptide named ADan, 11 residues longer than the wild-type peptide produced from the normal BRI gene.

[Musculoskeletal manifestations as the onset of acute leukemias in childhood].

Objective: To study the frequency, the clinical features and laboratory exams of patients with musculoskeletal symptoms at the onset of acute leukemia.

Methods: Retrospective, descriptive study including patients diagnosed with acute leukemia, and treated at the Institute of Pediatric Oncology of UNIFESP, carried out from November 1999 to February 2000. The data on musculoskeletal complaints were obtained from a questionnaire.

Multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae with decreased susceptibility to cefixime-Hawaii, 2001.

We report 4 urogenital Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates recovered from 3 patients that demonstrated resistance to penicillin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin and reduced susceptibility to cefixime. This report of the first 3 patients in the United States identified with this multidrug-resistant strain may portend an emerging problem for clinicians and public health officials.

Loss of types XV and XIX collagen precedes basement membrane invasion in ductal carcinoma of the female breast.

Ductal and lobular carcinomas comprise most malignancies of the female breast and the morbidity and mortality associated with breast cancer. During the progression from in situ to invasive stages, tumour cells penetrate the epithelial and vascular basement membranes (BM) to realize full metastatic potential. While the definition of these structures has primarily resulted from analysis of laminin and type IV collagen, characterization of newly discovered BM/BM zone (BMZ) proteins will further elucidate the interactions between tumour cells and the host stroma.