Three-dimensional reconstruction of the rat nephron.

This study gives a three-dimensional (3D) structural analysis of rat nephrons and their connections to collecting ducts. Approximately 4,500 2.5-μm-thick serial sections from the renal surface to the papillary tip were obtained from each of 3 kidneys of Wistar rats.

The role of the RAS in programming of adult hypertension.

The aetiology of cardiovascular disease originally included two components: a genetic component and an environmental or lifestyle component. Increasing epidemiologic evidence has been accumulating during the last decades indicating the importance of a third component: the influence of the environment during foetal development. Poor living conditions resulted in a high infant mortality and influenced the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood despite better living conditions (A.

Destructive, granulating lesion in the temporal bone after elevated plasma homocysteine.

Objective: This is a presentation of a seemingly new otolaryngologic disease.

Setting: This study was conducted at a tertiary referral center.

Case Report: A 38-year-old healthy man developed left-sided sudden deafness with vertigo and temporary left facial palsy.

Brothers with Chudley-McCullough syndrome: sensorineural deafness, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and other structural brain abnormalities.

We describe two brothers with Chudley-McCullough syndrome who are 5 and 17 years old. They were born to healthy consanguineous parents of Pakistani descent. They had severe sensorineural deafness and neuroimaging showed corpus callosum agenesis and other structural brain abnormalities.

Nitric oxide synthase expression and enzymatic activity in human brain tumors.

Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized by NO synthases (NOS), existing in 3 isoforms. NO influences a great variety of vital functions including vascular tone and neurotransmission. Under conditions of excessive formation, NO emerges as an important mediator of neurotoxicity in a variety of disorders of the central nervous system (CNS).

Chlamydia pneumoniae-associated ADEM.

Inflammatory demyelinating diseases are a common cause of neurologic disability in young adults, and usually the cause is unknown. We describe a case of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) associated with Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. An 18-year-old previously healthy women, with a one-week history of coryzal illness, was admitted because of progressive headache, dizziness, and a left-sided hemiparesis.

[CT scanning in the diagnosis of internal carotid artery dissection].

Dissection of the internal carotid artery is becoming more frequently recognized as a cause of neurological deficits or stoke in younger adults. A dissection is diagnosed in relation to minor often primarily unrecognized trauma to the neck and the typical clinical features seen with dissection are headache, Horner's syndrome and symptoms of focal brain ischaemia. Treatment, i.

[Clinical value of SPECT scanning in children with neurological disorders].

We retrospectively evaluated the clinical value of Tc-99-HMPAO brain single photon emission tomography (SPECT) in 21 children with neurological disorders of varied aetiology. All 21 patients were examined with electroencephalograms (EEGs), 17 with computed tomography (CT) and ten with magnetic resonance imaging (MR). New relevant information was obtained from SPECT in all 21 cases and in four of these cases the investigation directly led to a change in diagnosis and better assessment of the prognosis.

[CT of primary cerebral lymphoma in non-immunosuppressed patients].

In the last 10-15 years primary lymphoma of the brain has tripled in frequency in the non-immunosuppressed population. The correct diagnosis by CT-examination is difficult as primary lymphoma imitates different pathological conditions. Five examples from a series of 13 patients are presented.

Gliomatosis cerebri--an appropriate diagnosis? Case reports.

Purpose: To evaluate the premises for the diagnosis gliomatosis cerebri in relation to diffuse astrocytomas.

Material And Methods: CT, MR images and pathological analyses were used to assess the cases of 4 patients with diffusely infiltrating astrocytic tumours that radiologically, clinically and pathologically resembled gliomatosis cerebri.

Results And Conclusion: Some astrocytomas have an immense potential for diffuse infiltration and they would seem to be more frequent than recognized hitherto.

Isolation and characterization of porcine mannan-binding proteins of different size and ultrastructure.

The authors report on the purification and characterization of mannan- binding proteins (MBP) isolated from porcine serum. The MBPs were purified by use of PEG precipitation, affinity chromatography on mannan-Sepharose, protein A- and anti-porcine IgM-Sepharose followed by gel filtration. The MBP proteins were collagenase sensitive and showed gamma 1-gamma 2-electrophoretic mobility.

Does nimodipine influence sex difference in outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage?

Before nimodipine was introduced as a standard treatment in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) females had a significantly poorer outcome which might be due to a higher frequency of delayed cerebral ischaemia (DCI). We evaluated the overall outcome with regard to gender in 188 consecutive patients with a verified ruptured intracranial aneurysm treated with nimodipine. The only significant differences concerning prognostic factors between the sexes were a higher frequency of SAH at the primary CT in female (p < 0.

Collectin in a non-mammalian species: isolation and characterization of mannan-binding protein (MBP) from chicken serum.

A chicken serum lectin was isolated by affinity chromatography on TSK-75 beads derivatized with the monosaccharide N-acetyl-D-mannosamine (ManNAc). Serum was applied to the column in a Ca(2+)-containing buffer and proteins were eluted with EDTA. After recalcification, the eluate was passed through a new ManNAc-derivatized column.

Mannan-binding protein forms complexes with alpha-2-macroglobulin. A protein model for the interaction.

We report that alpha-2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) can form complexes with a high molecular weight porcine mannan-binding protein (pMBP-28). The alpha 2M/pMBP-28 complexes was isolated by PEG-precipitation and affinity chromatography on mannan-Sepharose, protein A-Sepharose and anti-IgM Sepharose. The occurrence of alpha 2M/pMBP-28 complexes was further indicated by crossed immunoelectrophoresis and by use of an anti-alpha 2M affinity column and chelating Sepharose loaded with Zn2+.

[Iatrogenic rhinolithiasis?].

A case of rhinolithiasis in a young man is presented. The radiological (CT-scan) and clinical findings of a rhinolith may be similar to other benign or malignant nasal lesion such as inverted papilloma. This similarity and the possibility that a rhinolith may have iatrogen origin is presented in this article.

CT demonstration of prostatic zonal anatomy during dynamic contrast infusion.

CT of the pelvis was made after i.v. administration of 100 ml Omnipaque (300 mg I/ml) in 8 patients.

Oligomer formation of staphylococcal alpha-toxin analyzed by electron microscopy and image processing.

The 12S oligomeric form of Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin has been studied with electron microscopy after incubation of the toxin with membrane preparations or liposomes. The target material originated from human platelets. Different electron microscopic preparation techniques were used including negative staining, freeze-fracture and vitrification in liquid ethane.

[Cerebral toxoplasmosis primarily diagnosed as a tumor].

Three cases of cerebral toxoplasmosis as the presenting manifestation of AIDS are reported. The initial diagnoses were brain tumors because of the cerebral mass lesions which resembled glioblastoma. In the light of the increasing occurrence of AIDS, attention is drawn to cerebral toxoplasmosis as a differential diagnosis from glioblastoma multiforme.

Three-dimensional structure of Na,K-ATPase determined from membrane crystals induced by cobalt-tetrammine-ATP.

The three-dimensional structure of Na,K-ATPase has been analyzed with electron microscopy and image processing. The enzyme, purified from pig kidney outer medulla, was arranged in a new form of tetragonal two-dimensional membrane crystals after incubation with cobalt-tetrammine-ATP, a stable MgATP complex analogue. Each continuous protein domain, as delineated by negative stain, consists of two alpha beta-protomers related by a dyad axis.

Comparison of precontrast, postcontrast, and delayed CT scanning for the staging of rectal carcinoma.

An attempt is made to establish the most appropriate examination procedure for staging rectal carcinoma by computed tomography (CT). Twenty-two patients with rectal carcinoma had CT performed preoperatively. The following three CT sequences were performed in all patients: a precontrast scan with 10-mm slices; a rapid sequence scan with 5-mm slices during bolus injection of contrast medium; and a postcontrast scan after a 10-min delay.

Surface areas of basolateral membranes in renal distal tubules estimated by vertical sections.

The surface area of the Na,K-ATPase-rich basolateral membranes in the medullary thick ascending limb of the distal tubule in the rabbit kidney was determined stereologically using the method of 'vertical sections', whereby unbiased surface estimates are obtained by imposing a cycloid test-lattice on micrographs of ultrathin sections cut roughly longitudinal to the tubular axis. The unbiased estimate of the surface area of basolateral membranes per tubule length in the thick ascending limb was 1.45 x 10(6) microns 2/mm.