X-ray structure of 5-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase from Escherichia coli complexed with the inhibitor levulinic acid at 2.0 A resolution.

5-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), an early enzyme of the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway, catalyzes the dimerization of 5-aminolevulinic acid to form the pyrrole, porphobilinogen. ALAD from Escherichia coli is shown to form a homo-octameric structure with 422 symmetry in which each subunit adopts the TIM barrel fold with a 30-residue N-terminal arm. Pairs of monomers associate with their arms wrapped around each other.

99mTc-labeled chimeric anti-NCA 95 antigranulocyte monoclonal antibody for bone marrow imaging.

Chimeric mouse-human antigranulocyte monoclonal antibody (ch MAb) against non-specific cross-reacting antigen (NCA-95) was labeled with 99mTc (using a direct method) and 125I (using the chloramine T method), and its binding to human granulocytes and LS-180 colorectal carcinoma cells expressing carcinoembryonic antigen on their surfaces, cross-reactive with anti-NCA-95 chimeric monoclonal antibody, increased in proportion to the number of cells added and reached more than 80% and 90%, respectively. In biodistribution studies, 99mTc and 125I-labeled ch anti-NCA-95 MAb revealed high tumor uptake, and the tumor-to-blood ratio was 2.9 after 24 hours.

99Tcm-labelled chimeric human/mouse anti-granulocyte antibody bone marrow scintigraphy: a preliminary clinical study.

Bone marrow scintigraphy using 99Tcm-labelled chimeric anti-granulocyte antibody (anti-NCA-95) was performed in 17 patients with haematological disorders and skeletal metastases. Chimeric anti-NCA-95 antibody (chNCA95 Ab, 0.2 mg) labelled with 444 MBq 99Tcm was administered to obtain bone marrow images 4 h post-injection.

Comparative study of positron emission tomography and quantitative digital radiography (QDR) in detecting effects of aging and diet on bone metabolism of guinea pig.

The purpose of this study was to compare positron emission tomography and quantitative digital radiography (QDR) in detecting the effects of aging and diet on bone metabolism. Bone imaging of guinea pigs was performed with fluorine-18 fluoride ions using a high-resolution animal PET system to analyze bone metabolism quantitatively in different age groups of guinea pigs, young (8 weeks), adult (36 weeks), and aged groups (96 weeks), and also in a dietary manipulation group (low calcium and low vitamin D3 diet for 1, 2, and 3 weeks). A three-compartment kinetic model was applied for the analysis of bone metabolism to evaluate the rate constant (K, K1-K4).

Biodistribution studies on L-3-[fluorine-18]fluoro-alpha-methyl tyrosine: a potential tumor-detecting agent.

Unlabelled: Iodine-123-alpha-methyl tyrosine has proven to be a promising SPECT agent for imaging amino acid uptake in tumors. We developed L-[3-(18)F]-alpha-methyl tyrosine (FMT) for PET studies. The aim of this study was to investigate its potential use as a tumor-detecting agent by using tumor-bearing mice.

X-ray structure of 5-aminolaevulinate dehydratase, a hybrid aldolase.

5-Aminolaevulinate dehydratase (ALAD) is a homo-octameric metallo-enzyme that catalyses the formation of porphobilinogen from 5-aminolaevulinic acid. The structure of the yeast enzyme has been solved to 2.3 A resolution, revealing that each subunit adopts a TIM barrel fold with a 39 residue N-terminal arm.

Independent thallium-201 accumulation and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism in glioma.

Unlabelled: SPECT with 201TI is an effective procedure for evaluating the malignancy of glioma. Our goal was to investigate the diagnostic relevance of both 201TI SPECT and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET and the relation between 201TI uptake and glucose metabolism in glioma using comparative SPECT and PET studies.

Methods: Thallium-201 SPECT and FDG dynamic PET studies were performed in 20 patients with untreated glioma (5 with glioblastoma, 5 with anaplastic glioma, 10 with low-grade glioma).

Clinical perspectives of intravenous ketamine anaesthesia in peafowl (Pavo cristatus).

A total of 29 peafowl (Pavo cristatus), rectified surgically for infraorbital abscesses (n = 22), lacerated wounds (n = 4), and fractures of tibia (n = 2) and radius (n = 1), were anaesthetized by the intravenous administration of ketamine hydrochloride (Inj. Calypsol, Gedeon Richter, Hungary) in a dose of 15 20 mg/kg body weight. Divided doses (10 mg + 5 mg + 5 mg) were used with an interval of 1-2 min.

A chemical basis for differential allelopathic potential of sorghum hybrids on wheat.

The basis for differential allelopathic potentials among sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) hybrids was investigated by conducting quantitative and qualitative studies of their phenolic contents. Total phenolic content in sorghum plant parts varied within hybrids, among hybrids, and between growing seasons.

CYFRA 21-1 as a tumor marker used in measuring the serum fragment of cytokeratin subunit 19 by immunoradiometric assay.

Serum levels of cytokeratin subunit 19 (CYFRA 21-1) were measured in 42 healthy volunteers, 104 cases of malignant diseases, 30 patients with chronic renal failure and 13 patients with nonmalignant and infectious diseases. The reliability of the method was demonstrated after dilution of serum samples and intra- and inter-assay reproducibility. Serum CYFRA-21-1 concentrations were less than 2.

Effects of varying forage and concentrate carbohydrates on nutrient digestibilities and milk production by dairy cows.

Five Holstein cows with ruminal cannulas were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design to determine the effect of replacing forage NDF with soyhull NDF and varying concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates on nutrient digestion and milk production. Diets in which NDF percentage from forage (corn silage: alfalfa hay, 1:1) was 80 (control), 70, or 60 were formulated by substituting soyhulls for forage; total forage was 43.2, 36.

Cloning of aminoglycoside phosphotransferase (APH) gene from antibiotic-producing strain of Bacillus circulans into a high-expression vector, pKK223-3. Purification, properties and location of the enzyme.

The aminoglycoside phosphotransferase gene from a butirosin-producing strain of Bacillus circulans was cloned in a high-expression vector (pKK223-3) to give the recombinant plasmid pMS5. Escherichia coli harbouring the plasmid, E. coli JM103[pMS5], was characterized, and several features of the expression of the phosphotransferase were studied.

Imaging of the pediatric spine and its contents.

We are at the crossroads of imaging of the diseases of the spine and its contents. There are different competing imaging modalities, each with its own merits and demerits. This review paper is designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the various available imaging modalities and to recommend one or a combination of imaging modalities that are suited for assessing a particular disease process.

Epilepsy in children with attention deficit disorder: cognitive, behavioral, and neuroanatomic indices.

Our study examined the hypothesis that if epilepsy adversely influences the cognitive and behavioral performance of children, then children with both attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy (ADHD-Sz) should exhibit more severe cognitive and behavioral difficulties and be more likely to demonstrate abnormalities on cranial computed tomography than ADHD children without epilepsy. We compared ADHD-Sz and ADHD patients using a variety of psychologic, behavioral, and educational measures, as well as cranial computed tomography. ADHD-Sz children scored significantly below the ADHD group on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (performance and full scale scores).

The septum pellucidum: normal and abnormal.

The common embryologic origin of the septum pellucidum, of the corpus callosum, and of the limbic system explains the anatomic basis of a varying degree of concurrent involvement of these structures in disease processes, both developmental and acquired. Developmental absence of the septum pellucidum portends a more generalized dysplasia that encompasses the corpus callosum and the limbic system. When considered in this context, it is easy to understand the limbic system dysfunction that is engendered by this anomaly.

Brain malformations in linear nevus sebaceous syndrome: an MR study.

A case is presented of a 16-year-old girl who had unilateral linear nevus sebaceous syndrome and ipsilateral brain malformations. These consisted of unilateral megalencephaly, white matter hypoplasia and excessive gray matter, deficient sulcation, and focal areas of pachygyria of the frontal lobe best seen on magnetic resonance imaging.

Focal MRI findings in early SSPE.

Many investigators have identified localized cortical involvement in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) by clinical and electrophysiologic criteria. Some investigators have reported such abnormalities in the posterior cerebrum early in the course of the disease, but without radiologic correlation. Recently, magnetic resonance imaging has been used to follow the progression of SSPE.