Spinal cord ischemia resulting in paraplegia following extrapleural pneumonectomy.

A patient undergoing radical extrapleural pneumonectomy for epithelioid malignant mesothelioma developed acute paraplegia postoperatively related to long-segment spinal cord ischemia. The usual area of concern for this complication is the T9 to T12 area where the artery of Adamkiewicz is most likely to originate. In this patient, there was ligation of only upper thoracic, ipsilateral segmental arteries from the T3 to T6 level, yet he still developed paraplegia.

Identification of a new chloroplast carbonic anhydrase in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Carbonic anhydrases (CA) are zinc-containing metalloenzymes that catalyze the reversible hydration of CO2. The three evolutionarily unrelated families of CAs are designated alpha-, beta-, and gamma-CA. Aquatic photosynthetic organisms have evolved different forms of CO2 concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) to aid Rubisco in capturing CO2 from the surrounding environment.