Case of Spigelian hernia with incarcerated appendix.

Spigelian hernias are uncommon lateral ventral wall hernias with a significant rate of incarceration; these hernias often produce nonspecific clinical signs and symptoms as well as elusive imaging findings. Although there are reported cases of incarcerated appendices within Spigelian hernias, this case specifically illustrates the diagnostic difficulty these hernias present to both surgeons and radiologists. Additionally, we discuss important anatomy, demographics and risk factors, clinical symptoms, imaging pitfalls and recommendations for repair based on a review of literature.

Amino Acid Block Copolymers with Broad Antimicrobial Activity and Barrier Properties.

Antimicrobial properties of a long-chain, synthetic, cationic, and hydrophobic amino acid block copolymer are reported. In 5 and 60 min time-kill assays, solutions of K L block copolymers (poly(l-lysine·hydrochloride) -b-poly(l-leucine) ) at concentrations of 10-100 µg mL show multi-log reductions in colony forming units of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as yeast, including multidrug-resistant strains. Driven by association of hydrophobic segments, K L copolymers form viscous solutions and self-supporting hydrogels in water at concentrations of 1 and 2 wt%, respectively.

Combined anti-tumor necrosis factor-α therapy and DMARD therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients reduces inflammatory gene expression in whole blood compared to DMARD therapy alone.

Periodic assessment of gene expression for diagnosis and monitoring in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may provide a readily available and useful method to detect subclinical disease progression and follow responses to therapy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic agents (DMARDs) or anti-TNF-α therapy. We used quantitative real-time PCR to compare peripheral blood gene expression profiles in active ("unstable") RA patients on DMARDs, stable RA patients on DMARDs, and stable RA patients treated with a combination of a disease-modifying anti-rheumatoid drug (DMARD) and an anti-TNF-α agent (infliximab or etanercept) to healthy human controls. The expression of 48 inflammatory genes were compared between healthy controls (N = 122), unstable DMARD patients (N = 18), stable DMARD patients (N = 26), and stable patients on combination therapy (N = 20).

E74-like factor 3 (ELF3) impacts on matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) transcriptional control in articular chondrocytes under proinflammatory stress.

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 has a pivotal, rate-limiting function in cartilage remodeling and degradation due to its specificity for cleaving type II collagen. The proximal MMP13 promoter contains evolutionarily conserved E26 transformation-specific sequence binding sites that are closely flanked by AP-1 and Runx2 binding motifs, and interplay among these and other factors has been implicated in regulation by stress and inflammatory signals. Here we report that ELF3 directly controls MMP13 promoter activity by targeting an E26 transformation-specific sequence binding site at position -78 bp and by cooperating with AP-1.

Developmental and genetic origins of murine long bone length variation.

If we wish to understand whether development influences the rate or direction of morphological evolution, we must first understand the developmental bases of morphological variation within species. However, quantitative variation in adult morphology is the product of molecular and cellular processes unfolding from embryonic development through juvenile growth to maturity. The Atchley-Hall model provides a useful framework for dissecting complex morphologies into their component parts as a way of determining which developmental processes contribute to variation in adult form.

Limited dynamic range of immune response gene expression observed in healthy blood donors using RT-PCR.

The use of quantitative gene expression analysis for the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of disease requires the ability to distinguish pathophysiological changes from natural variations. To characterize these variations in apparently healthy subjects, quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure various immune response genes in whole blood collected from blood bank donors. In a single-time-point study of 131 donors, of 48 target genes, 43 were consistently expressed and 34 followed approximately log-normal distribution.