Type I Choledochal Cyst Complicated With Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis: A Case Report.

Choledochal cysts rarely present with acute pancreatitis. We report a patient with type I choledochal cyst(s) who had concomitant acute frank hemorrhagic pancreatitis. A 14-year-old male noted with a history of recurrent abdominal pain, fever and jaundice.

Carbon-centered strong bases in phosphonium ionic liquids.

Phosphonium ionic liquids (PhosILs), most notably tetradecyl(trihexyl)phosphonium decanoate (PhosIL-C(9)H(1)9COO), are solvents for bases such as Grignard reagents, isocyanides, Wittig reagents (phosphoranes), and N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). The stability of the organometallic species in PhosIL solution is anion dependent. Small bases, such as hydroxide, react with the phosphonium ions and promote C-H exchange as suggested by deuterium-labeling studies.

Flexible coordination of the carboxylate ligand in tin(II) amides and a 1,3-diaza-2,4-distannacyclobutanediyl.

A series of tin(II) amido complexes possessing m-terphenyl carboxylate ligands have been prepared. These complexes, namely [(Me(3)Si)(2)NSn(mu-O(2)CC(6)H(2)Ph(3))](2), [(Me(3)Si)(2)NSn(mu-O(2)CC(6)H(3)Mes(2))](2), and [(Me(3)Si)(2)NSn(mu-O(2)CC(6)H(2)Mes(2)Me)](2) [Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl], are the first structurally characterized examples of tin(II) carboxylate complexes exhibiting discrete Sn(2)O(4)C(2) heterocyclic cores. Initial reactivity studies led to the isolation of a 1,3-diaza-2,4-distannacyclobutanediyl, [(Mes(2)C(6)H(3)CO(2))Sn(mu-NSiMe(3))](2).

Coq3 and Coq4 define a polypeptide complex in yeast mitochondria for the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q.

Coenzyme Q (Q) is a redox active lipid essential for aerobic respiration in eukaryotes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae at least eight mitochondrial polypeptides, designated Coq1-Coq8, are required for Q biosynthesis. Here we present physical evidence for a coenzyme Q-biosynthetic polypeptide complex in isolated mitochondria.

Yeast Coq5 C-methyltransferase is required for stability of other polypeptides involved in coenzyme Q biosynthesis.

Coenzyme Q (Q) functions in the electron transport chain of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The biosynthesis of Q requires a number of steps involving at least eight Coq polypeptides. Coq5p is required for the C-methyltransferase step in Q biosynthesis.

Project management system for structural and functional proteomics: Sesame.

A computing infrastructure (Sesame) has been designed to manage and link individual steps in complex projects. Sesame is being developed to support a large-scale structural proteomics pilot project. When complete, the system is expected to manage all steps from target selection to data-bank deposition and report writing.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae COQ6 gene encodes a mitochondrial flavin-dependent monooxygenase required for coenzyme Q biosynthesis.

Coenzyme Q (Q) is a lipid that functions as an electron carrier in the mitochondrial respiratory chain in eukaryotes. There are eight complementation groups of Q-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants, designated coq1-coq8. Here we have isolated the COQ6 gene by functional complementation and, in contrast to a previous report, find it is not an essential gene.

Development of interleukin-12-producing capacity throughout childhood.

Increasing evidence indicates that the capacity to induce protective Th1 immune responses is impaired in early childhood, an observation that can be partially attributed to deficiencies in antigen-presenting-cell function. Synthesis of interleukin 12 (IL-12), a key Th1-trophic cytokine, is markedly reduced in the neonatal period, though there is a paucity of knowledge concerning the ontogeny of IL-12-synthetic capacity throughout the childhood years. Hence, we examined the production of bioactive IL-12 p70 by circulating mononuclear cells in a population of healthy individuals.

Testing the NKT cell hypothesis of human IDDM pathogenesis.

Defects in IL-4-producing CD1d-autoreactive NKT cells have been implicated in numerous Th1-mediated autoimmune diseases, including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and systemic sclerosis. Particular attention has been focused on autoimmune insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) because nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice and humans with IDDM are both reported to express severe deficiencies in the frequency and Th2 functions of NKT cells. Furthermore, experimental manipulations of the NKT defect in the NOD mouse induced corresponding changes in disease.

Distinct functional lineages of human V(alpha)24 natural killer T cells.

CD1d-restricted autoreactive natural killer (NK)T cells have been reported to regulate a range of disease conditions, including type I diabetes and immune rejection of cancer, through the secretion of either T helper (Th)2 or Th1 cytokines. However, mechanisms underlying Th2 versus Th1 cytokine secretion by these cells are not well understood. Since most healthy subjects express <1 NKT cell per 1,000 peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), we devised a new method based on the combined used of T cell receptor (TCR)-specific reagents alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGalCer) loaded CD1d-tetramers and anti-V(alpha)24 monoclonal antibody, to specifically identify and characterize these rare cells in fresh PBLs.