Characterization of tissue-specific LIM domain protein (FHL1C) which is an alternatively spliced isoform of a human LIM-only protein (FHL1).

We have cloned and characterized another alternatively spliced isoform of the human four-and-a-half LIM domain protein 1 (FHL1), designated FHL1C. FHL1C contains a single zinc finger and two tandem repeats of LIM domains at the N-terminus followed by a putative RBP-J binding region at the C-terminus. FHL1C shares the same N-terminal two-and-a-half LIM domains with FHL1 but different C-terminal protein sequences.

Effect of pre-incision skin infiltration on post-hysterectomy pain--a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

In this double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial, we compared the analgesic effect of preoperative 0.25% bupivacaine (n = 21) skin infiltration with normal saline (n = 19) in patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy through a lower midline incision. All patients received postoperative patient-controlled analgesia with morphine and were followed for 72 hours.

In silico studies of energy metabolism of normal and diseased heart.

Biotechnology research is developing into genomic analyses that involve the simultaneous monitoring of thousands of genes. The development of various bioinformatics resources that provide efficient access to information is necessary. We have used single-pass sequencing of randomly selected cDNA clones to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs).

Could the incidence of postoperative urinary tract infection be reduced by reversing the sequence of vaginal cleansing and urethral catheterization?

Postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common hospital infection after gynaecological operations. A prospective randomized study was performed to examine whether the incidence of UTI could be reduced by reversing the sequence of vaginal cleansing and urethral catheterization. Subjects were randomly allocated to: (1) urethral catheterization before vaginal cleansing; and (2) urethral catheterization after vaginal cleansing.

Randomized comparison of vaginal (200 microg every 3 h) and oral (400 microg every 3 h) misoprostol when combined with mifepristone in termination of second trimester pregnancy.

It is known that when misoprostol is given at 200 microg every 3 h after mifepristone pretreatment, the vaginal route is more effective than the oral route. However, women prefer the oral route. This randomized study was to test our hypothesis that oral misoprostol 400 microg is as effective as vaginal misoprostol 200 microg when given every 3 h in termination of second trimester pregnancy after priming with mifepristone.

Interaction of hCLIM1, an enigma family protein, with alpha-actinin 2.

Enigma proteins are proteins that possess a PDZ domain at the amino terminal and one to three LIM domains at the carboxyl terminal. They are cytoplasmic proteins that are involved with the cytoskeleton and signal transduction pathway. By virtue of the two protein interacting domains, they are capable of protein-protein interactions.

Vaginal misoprostol alone for medical abortion up to 9 weeks of gestation: efficacy and acceptability.

Misoprostol and mifepristone have been shown to be effective for medical abortion up to 9 weeks of gestation. When used alone, the successful complete abortion rate dropped to approximately 60%. It has been demonstrated that by adding water to misoprostol, the success rate rose to 92%.

Aggressive angiomyxoma in females: is radical resection the only option?

Background: Aggressive angiomyxoma is a rare mesenchymal tumor, characterized by frequent local recurrences. Our aim is to assess the role of radical resection.

Methods: Retrospective case review.

Labour characteristics and uterine activity: misoprostol compared with oxytocin in women at term with prelabour rupture of the membranes.

Objective: To compare the labour pattern and uterine activity of oral misoprostol with oxytocin for labour induction in women presenting with prelabour rupture of membranes at term.

Design: Prospective randomised study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.

Protein-protein interaction of FHL2, a LIM domain protein preferentially expressed in human heart, with hCDC47.

In the yeast two-hybrid library screening, the heart-specific FHL2 protein was found to interact with hCDC47. In vitro interaction study between FHL2 protein and hCDC47 was demonstrated. From the results of domain studies by the yeast two-hybrid assay, the second and third LIM domains in conjunction with the first half LIM domain of FHL2 were identified to be important in binding with hCDC47.

Gastric adenocarcinoma presenting with persistent, mild gastrointestinal symptoms in pregnancy. A case report.

Background: Mild gastrointestinal symptoms are common during pregnancy but can also be the only symptoms in stomach cancer until the late stage. Clinicians' reluctance to pursue diagnostic studies appears to be a major contributing factor to delayed diagnosis and poor outcome. We report a case of maternal death to alert clinicians to this rare possibility.

Reliability of fine-needle aspiration in patients with familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer.

In this case-control study we describe how often thyroid cancers and occult cancers are diagnosed or not diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in patients with thyroid nodules and a family history of nonmedullary thyroid cancers (FNMTC). Our hypothesis is that patients with thyroid nodules and a family history of FNMTC seem to be similar to patients with thyroid nodules and a history of exposure to low-dose therapeutic radiation. Both have been reported to have multifocal thyroid neoplasms and malignant tumors are common.

Colon cancer in pregnancy. A case report.

Background: Carcinoma of the colon diagnosed during pregnancy is very rare. Delayed diagnosis is common because of the similarity between early signs and symptoms of colon cancer and gastrointestinal complaints often experienced by pregnant women. We report a case of early-stage colon cancer in pregnancy with a good outcome.

The use of misoprostol for pre-operative cervical dilatation prior to vacuum aspiration: a randomized trial.

Misoprostol is effective for cervical priming prior to vacuum aspiration for first trimester termination of pregnancy. Previous studies showed that the oral route was more acceptable to patients but there were higher incidences of side-effects when compared with the vaginal route. This study is to determine the optimal dosage and route of administration of misoprostol for pre-operative cervical dilatation.

In vivo and in vitro association of 14-3-3 epsilon isoform with calmodulin: implication for signal transduction and cell proliferation.

Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, human 14-3-3 epsilon protein was found to interact with human calmodulin. In vitro binding assay between human 14-3-3 epsilon protein/peptide and calmodulin was demonstrated by native gel electrophoresis, and the interaction was shown to be calcium dependent. Our results, along with the association of the 14-3-3 epsilon protein with other signaling proteins, suggest that the 14-3-3 protein could provide a link between signal transduction and cell proliferation.

Characterization of the human 36-kDa carboxyl terminal LIM domain protein (hCLIM1).

We characterized a human cDNA clone encoding a 36-kDa carboxyl terminal LIM domain protein with a PDZ domain at the amino terminal. This full-length cDNA clone has a predicted open reading frame (ORF) of 329 amino-acid residues. The ORF of this cDNA encodes the human homolog of rat CLP36, and the putative protein is named human 36-kDa carboxyl terminal LIM domain protein (hCLIM1, nomenclature approved by the HUGO/GDB Nomenclature Committee).

Developmental regulation of 14-3-3 epsilon isoform in rat heart.

Human heart cDNA sequencing yielded a cDNA clone that is similar in DNA and amino acid sequences to that of mouse 14-3-3 epsilon isoform. The 6xHis-tagged H1433 epsilon recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and its size was approximately 30 kDa. From Northern blot results with human multiple tissues, human skeletal muscle was found to have the highest level of h1433 epsilon mRNA expression, whereas Northern blots of human cancer cell lines detected the highest mRNA level of h1433 epsilon in colorectal adenocarcinoma SW480.

Oral misoprostol for cervical priming in non-pregnant women.

Endometrial biopsy and hysteroscopy are important investigations in women presenting with abnormal vaginal bleeding. Endometrial biopsy is often performed as an outpatient procedure by endometrial aspiration. Difficulty in entering the internal cervical os may be encountered, especially in nulliparous women.

Vaginal misoprostol compared with oral misoprostol in termination of second-trimester pregnancy.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of vaginal with oral misoprostol in termination of second-trimester pregnancy after pretreatment with mifepristone.

Methods: Women requesting termination of second-trimester pregnancy were randomized into two groups. Thirty-six to 48 hours after oral administration of 200 mg of mifepristone, women were given either oral or vaginal misoprostol 200 microg every 3 hours for a maximum of five doses in the first 24 hours.

Oral misoprostol versus mifepristone for cervical dilatation before vacuum aspiration in first trimester nulliparous pregnancy: a double blind prospective randomised study.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of oral misoprostol and mifepristone for cervical priming before first trimester termination of nulliparous pregnancy.

Design: Prospective double blind randomised study.

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Hong Kong.

Cervical priming with oral misoprostol in pre-labor rupture of membranes at term.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of oral misoprostol as a cervical priming agent for patients presenting with pre-labor rupture of membranes at term.

Methods: Eighty patients presenting with pre-labor rupture of membranes at term were randomized to receive either 200 micrograms of misoprostol or 50 mg of vitamin B6 orally 1 hour after admission. Labor was induced with intravenous oxytocin infusion 12 hours after oral medication if the patient did not go into labor.

Oral misoprostol versus vaginal gemeprost for cervical dilatation prior to vacuum aspiration in women in the sixth to twelfth week of gestation.

The effectiveness of oral misoprostol versus vaginal gemeprost for cervical dilatation prior to vacuum aspiration was compared in women in the 6th to 12th week of pregnancy. Sixty-four nulliparous women requesting termination of pregnancy between 6th to 12th weeks of gestation were randomized to receive either 400 micrograms misoprostol orally or 1 mg vaginal gemeprost at 12 hr or 3 hr prior to vacuum aspiration, respectively. The cervical dilatation at vacuum aspiration, the ease of the subsequent surgical procedure, and the incidence of complications and side effects were compared between these two methods of cervical priming.

Oral misoprostol versus placebo for cervical dilatation before vacuum aspiration in first trimester pregnancy.

Intravaginal misoprostol has been shown to be effective for cervical priming before a surgically induced abortion. The objective was to investigate the effectiveness of oral misoprostol in cervical dilatation prior to vacuum aspiration between the 6th and 12th weeks of pregnancy. The results showed that in nulliparous patients, the median cervical dilatation in the treatment group (7.

Nitrous oxide selectively releases Met5-enkephalin and Met5-enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 into canine third ventricular cerebrospinal fluid.

The role of the opioid receptor-endogenous opioid peptide system in mediating analgesia induced by nitrous oxide has been a controversial subject. Most previous studies provided only indirect evidence either to support or refute the involvement of opioid receptors and/or endogenous opioid peptides. To provide more direct evidence, we measured concentrations of five naturally occurring endogenous opioid peptides in third ventricular cerebrospinal fluid from eight acclimated dogs with chronically implanted ventricular catheters.

Photochemical cross-linking between native rabbit skeletal troponin C and benzoylbenzoyl-troponin I inhibitory peptide, residues 104-115.

The troponin I (TnI) inhibitory region (residues 104-115) was synthesized with alpha-14C-labeled Gly-104 and a covalently linked benzoylbenzoyl (BB) moiety at the N terminus to yield a photoactivatable radioactive peptide (BBIp). BBIp was cross-linked to rabbit skeletal muscle troponin C (TnC) to locate the binding site on TnC. The TnC/BBIp mixture was subjected to photolysis in aqueous buffer at pH 7.