Cervicothoracic spinal epidural cavernous hemangioma: case report and review of the literature.

Cavernous hemangiomas are vascular malformations that effect the central nervous system. This pathology is frequently encountered in the cerebral hemispheres, cerebellum, and brainstem. Cavernous hemangiomas, although usually solitary, may be associated with the same lesion in other parts of the central nervous system or other organ systems and may appear as sporadic or familial cases.

Persistent organochlorine residues in human breast milk from Hanoi and Hochiminh City, Vietnam: contamination, accumulation kinetics and risk assessment for infants.

Despite the ban on persistent organochlorines (OCs) in most of the developed nations, their usage continued until recently in many Asian developing countries including Vietnam, for agricultural purposes and vector-borne disease eradication programs. In this study, we collected human breast milk samples from the two big cities in Vietnam: Hanoi (n=42) and Hochiminh (n=44) and determined the concentrations of persistent OCs such as PCBs, DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), chlordane compounds (CHLs) and tris-4-chlorophenyl-methane (TCPMe). The contamination pattern of OCs was in the order of DDTs > PCBs > HCHs > CHLs approximately HCB approximately TCPMe.

Orphan nuclear receptors, molecular clockwork, and the entrainment of peripheral oscillators.

Here we summarize our work on two aspects of circadian timing: the roles of orphan nuclear receptors in the molecular clockwork, and phase entrainment of peripheral oscillators. With reference to the former, studies on cis-acting regulatory elements within the Bmal1 promoter revealed that REV-ERBalpha, an orphan nuclear receptor provides a link between the positive and negative limbs of the molecular oscillator. Specifically, REV-ERBalpha controls the cyclic transcription of Bmal1 and Clock, the positive limb components.

A Notch feeling of somite segmentation and beyond.

Vertebrate segmentation is manifested during embryonic development as serially repeated units termed somites that give rise to vertebrae, ribs, skeletal muscle and dermis. Many theoretical models including the "clock and wavefront" model have been proposed. There is compelling genetic evidence showing that Notch-Delta signaling is indispensable for somitogenesis.

RNA recognition by transcriptional antiterminators of the BglG/SacY family: mapping of SacY RNA binding site.

Transcriptional antiterminators of the BglG/SacY family are bacterial regulatory proteins able to prevent the premature arrest of transcription through specific binding to a ribonucleic antiterminator (RAT) sequence. The RNA recognition module of these regulators is made of the 55-amino acid long N-terminal domain which can by itself promote efficient antitermination activity in vivo and RNA binding in vitro. The structure of this domain, which was called CAT for co-antiterminator, has first been determined for SacY from Bacillus subtilis and the putative surface contacting RNA has been defined by NMR footprinting.

Phosphorylation of CREB Ser142 regulates light-induced phase shifts of the circadian clock.

Biological rhythms are driven in mammals by a central circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Light-induced phase shifting of this clock is correlated with phosphorylation of CREB at Ser133 in the SCN. Here, we characterize phosphorylation of CREB at Ser142 and describe its contribution to the entrainment of the clock.

Glucocorticoid hormones inhibit food-induced phase-shifting of peripheral circadian oscillators.

The circadian timing system in mammals is composed of a master pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus and slave clocks in most peripheral cell types. The phase of peripheral clocks can be completely uncoupled from the SCN pacemaker by restricted feeding. Thus, feeding time, while not affecting the phase of the SCN pacemaker, is a dominant Zeitgeber for peripheral circadian oscillators.

Restricted feeding uncouples circadian oscillators in peripheral tissues from the central pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

In mammals, circadian oscillators exist not only in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which harbors the central pacemaker, but also in most peripheral tissues. It is believed that the SCN clock entrains the phase of peripheral clocks via chemical cues, such as rhythmically secreted hormones. Here we show that temporal feeding restriction under light-dark or dark-dark conditions can change the phase of circadian gene expression in peripheral cell types by up to 12 h while leaving the phase of cyclic gene expression in the SCN unaffected.

Immune responses in Vietnamese children after a single dose of the auxotrophic, live Shigella flexneri Y vaccine strain SFL124.

The live, auxotrophic Shigella flexneri vaccine strain SFL124 was given in a single dose of 10(7), 10(8) or 10(9) colony forming units (cfu), respectively, to each of three groups of 10 Vietnamese children aged 9-14 years. The vaccine was well tolerated by all the children without any severe side effects such as diarrhoea or fever being observed. Mild symptoms were reported by five children.

Safety and immunogenicity of the live oral auxotrophic Shigella flexneri SFL124 in adult Vietnamese volunteers.

The live, auxotrophic dependent Shigella flexneri Y vaccine strain SFL124 with a deleted aroD gene was tested in 30 healthy adult male Vietnamese volunteers. A single dose of 2 x 10(9) live bacteria was given orally to 15 volunteers, whereas 15 received three doses every other day. None of the volunteers reacted with fever or diarrhoea and SFL124 was excreted by all for a mean of 2.

Thermophilic amylase-producing bacteria from Vietnamese soils.

Of 25 bacterial isolates from Vietnamese soils, two were identified asBacillus stearothermophilus and one asThermoactinomyces thalpophilus, both thermophilic, amylase-producing bacteria. Amylase activity was highest in the presence of cassava starch as carbon source and (NH4)2HPO4 as nitrogen source. The strains exhibit a high amylase productivity within the first 5 to 7 h of cultivation at 55°C.

[Gastro-duodenal artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery].

These exceptional anomalies of the gastro-duodenal (G.D.) arteries provide a better understanding of certain very odd vessels found on coeliac or superior mesenteric arteries selective arteriography.