Lower extremity lymphedema in patients with gynecologic cancer: Validation of the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) in German language and investigation of lymphedema real-world treatment.

Purpose: The Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) is an established patient-reported outcome measure for lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) in gynecologic oncology. We aimed to validate the GCLQ in German language (GCLQ-GER) for lymphedema detection in German-speaking patients and also investigated real-world patterns of lymphedema treatment.

Methods: The GCLQ was translated from English into German in accordance with the standards of a professional translation process.

Capillary electrophoresis-based sirtuin assay using non-peptide substrates.

Sirtuins are NAD(+)-dependent class III histone deacetylases, which catalyze the deacetylation of acetyl-lysine residues of histones and other protein substrates yielding the deacetylated protein, nicotinamide and 2'-O-acetyl-ADP-ribose. Two lysine amide derivatives containing dansyl (Dns) or 7-dimethylaminocoumarin (DMAC) residues, i.e.

Polyvinyl alcohol gel prevents adhesion re-formation after adhesiolysis in a rabbit model.

Background: Chronic pain, infertility, and bowel obstructions are possible consequences of abdominal adhesions, which can highly affect the patient's quality of life. Patients in whom adhesiolysis has been performed are at high risk for recurrence of adhesions. For that reason, the present study focused on the re-formation of adhesions after adhesiolysis and on the possibility of avoiding it by using the adhesion barrier polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-gel.

Polyvinyl alcohol gel prevents abdominal adhesion formation in a rabbit model.

Objective: To evaluate the function and biocompatibility of the new adhesion barrier PVA gel (polyvinyl alcohol + carboxymethylated cellulose) in the prevention of postsurgical peritoneal adhesions in a rabbit sidewall model. To evaluate and compare the routinely used 4% icodextrin.

Design: A prospective randomized controlled study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of PVA gel in reducing postoperative adhesion formation.

Evidence for the extended helical nature of polysaccharide epitopes. The 2.8 A resolution structure and thermodynamics of ligand binding of an antigen binding fragment specific for alpha-(2-->8)-polysialic acid.

The antigen binding fragment from an IgG2a kappa murine monoclonal antibody with specificity for alpha-(2-->8)-linked sialic acid polymers has been prepared and crystallized in the absence of hapten. Crystals were grown by vapor diffusion equilibrium with 16-18% polyethylene glycol 4000 solutions. The structure was solved by molecular replacement methods and refined to a conventional R factor of 0.

Primary structure of the murine monoclonal IgG2a antibody mAb735 against alpha (2-8) polysialic acid. 2. Amino acid sequence of the heavy (H-) chain Fd' region.

The complete amino acid sequence of the Fd' region including the VH part, the CH1 domain, and the hinge segment of the biologically relevant monoclonal mouse anti-alpha (2-8) polysialic acid antibody mAb735 is presented. The reduced and carboxymethylated H-chain was digested with trypsin and cyanogen bromide. For subfragmentation selected peptides were cleaved with thermolysin and endoproteinase Asp-N.

Complete nucleotide and deduced protein sequence of CMP-NeuAc: poly-alpha-2,8 sialosyl sialyltransferase of Escherichia coli K1.

Poly-alpha-2,8 N-acetylneuraminic acid (polySia) is an important virulence factor in infections caused by Escherichia coli K1 and Neisseria meningitidis B. In E. coli K1 a membranous CMP-NeuAc: poly-alpha-2,8 sialosyl sialyltransferase (polysialyltransferase) complex catalyses the synthesis of linear polySia chains.

Primary structure of the murine monoclonal IgG2a antibody mAb735 against alpha(2-8) polysialic acid. 1) Amino-acid sequence of the light (L-) chain, kappa-isotype.

Here we report the complete amino-acid sequence of the anti-alpha(2-8)polysialic acid antibody mAb735 light chain. The sequence was determined after digestion of the reduced and carboxymethylated L-chain with trypsin, SV-8 proteinase, and Asp-N proteinase, isolation of the generated peptides by RP-HPLC and characterization of these fragments by sequence analysis, amino-acid analysis and/or plasma desorption mass spectrometry. According to Kabat et al.

Evidence for a common molecular origin of the capsule gene loci in gram-negative bacteria expressing group II capsular polysaccharides.

Capsular polysaccharides of Gram-negative bacteria contribute to a large extent to the pathogenicity of these organisms. We show here that the molecular organization of the capsule gene loci in different serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis is similar to that of Haemophilus influenzae and Escherichia coli. A common molecular origin of the mechanisms of encapsulation is indicated by strong homology of the genes involved in transport of the capsular polysaccharides to the cell surface in all these organisms.

Embryonic neural cell adhesion molecule in cerebrospinal fluid of younger children: age-dependent decrease during the first year.

Poly-alpha-2,8-N-acetylneuraminic acid (poly-alpha-2,8-NeuAc) is developmentally expressed in neural tissue of higher animals, where it is covalently attached to the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), a large integral membrane glycoprotein mediating cell-cell adhesion during neuronal development. NCAM exists in several molecular forms, of which only embryonic NCAM carries lengthy chains (n greater than 5) of poly-alpha-2,8-NeuAc. Chemically identical poly-alpha-2,8-NeuAc of bacterial origin is an important virulence factor in infections caused by Neisseria meningitidis group B and Escherichia coli K1, the predominant pathogens of bacterial meningitis.

Giant liposomes as model membranes for immunological studies: spontaneous insertion of purified K1-antigen (poly-alpha-2,8-NeuAc) of Escherichia coli.

A flow chamber has been constructed to use giant liposomes (diameter 5-50 microns) as model membranes for immunological studies and other experiments involving the interaction with water-soluble compounds. As an example of immunological importance, the insertion of purified K-antigen from Escherichia coli K1 has been studied. Despite its large hydrophilic part (poly-alpha-2,8-NeuAc), which is capped at its potential reducing end with phosphatidic acid acting as a lipid anchor group, this water-soluble material is readily incorporated into liposomal membranes of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC).

Immunohistochemical localization of polysialic acid in tissue sections: differential binding to polynucleotides and DNA of a murine IgG and a human IgM monoclonal antibody.

For immunolocalization of alpha(2-8)-linked polysialic acid, which forms part of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM), two monoclonal antibodies, MAb735 and IgMNOV, were employed. Both antibodies have previously been shown to bind the extremely low immunogenic capsular polysaccharide of group B meningococci, which also consists of alpha(2-8) polysialic acid, but not to other, even closely related forms of polysialic acid. Despite the identical polysaccharide specificity of these two MAb, we observed marked differences of the staining pattern in tissue sections.

Biosynthesis of the polysialic acid capsule in Escherichia coli K1. The endogenous acceptor of polysialic acid is a membrane protein of 20 kDa.

The nature of endogenous acceptor molecules implicated in the membrane-directed synthesis of the polysialic acid (polySia) capsule in Escherichia coli K1 serotypes is not known. The capsule contains at least 200 sialic acid (Sia) residues that are elongated by the addition of new Sia residues to the nonreducing termini of growing nascent chains (Rohr, T. E.

Up-regulation of embryonic NCAM in an EC cell line by retinoic acid.

The impact of retinoic acid (RA) on the expression of the neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAMs) and their developmentally regulated polysialic acid (PSA) moiety was studied in embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell lines. These cell lines are known to be capable of RA-induced differentiation into neurons (murine P19 cells) or parietal endoderm (murine F9 cells), respectively. Monoclonal antibodies were employed to monitor expression of NCAM and PSA.

Embryonic neural cell adhesion molecules on human natural killer cells.

The neural cell adhesion molecules (NCAM) are surface glycoproteins that were first described in brain tissue. NCAM mediate adhesion in a variety of cell-cell interactions. In the present study we show that the so-called "embryonic" NCAM, i.

Molecular characterization and expression in Escherichia coli of the gene complex encoding the polysaccharide capsule of Neisseria meningitidis group B.

The gene complex encoding all determinants of the biosynthesis pathway of the capsule of group B meningococci (cps) has been cloned in Escherichia coli. A 24-kilobase large chromosomal fragment is necessary for capsule expression on the E. coli surface.

Reexpression of poly(sialic acid) units of the neural cell adhesion molecule in Wilms tumor.

A unique structural feature of the neural cell adhesion molecule N-CAM is the presence of homopolymers of alpha (2----8)-linked sialic acid units. We have used two specific probes for the detection of poly(sialic acid) in normal human kidney and Wilms tumor: a monoclonal antibody against meningococci group B capsular polysaccharide (homopolymers of alpha (2----8)-linked sialic acid units), which shows no crossreactivity with polynucleotides and denaturated DNA, and bacteriophage-induced endosialidases specifically hydrolyzing alpha (2----8)-linked poly(sialic acid) units. Additionally, for the detection of N-CAM, antibodies recognizing the polypeptide portion of the molecule and biotinylated antisense RNA transcribed from a cDNA clone for N-CAM were applied.

Biosynthesis of the O9 antigen of Escherichia coli. Synthetic glycosyldiphosphomoraprenols as probes for requirement of mannose acceptors.

Synthetic monosaccharide derivatives (alpha-glucosyl, beta-glucosyl, alpha-mannosyl) and disaccharide derivatives (alpha-mannosyl-1,2-alpha-glucosyl, alpha-mannosyl-1,3-alpha-glucosyl, alpha-mannosyl-1,4-alpha-glucosyl, alpha-mannosyl-1,6-alpha-glucosyl) of diphosphomoraprenol were used as putative mannose acceptors in the biosynthesis of Escherichia coli O9 antigen. Membranes of E. coli O9 derived from the rfe mutant F 1357 were reconstituted with these compounds and then incubated with different concentrations of GDP-[14C]mannose.

Biosynthesis of the 09 antigen of Escherichia coli. Core structure of rfe mutant as indication of assembly mechanism.

The chemical structure of the outer (hexose) regions of the core oligosaccharide from Escherichia coli 09 with the complete R1 core, and from a R1-derived rfe mutant were analyzed using compositional analysis, methylation and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. It was found that, in contrast to the branched outer region of the R1 core, the outer region of the core from the rfe mutant lacked terminal glucose and was linear. These results are in agreement with recent findings on the biosynthesis of the 09 antigen.

Glucosyldiphosphoundecaprenol, the mannose acceptor in the synthesis of the O9 antigen of Escherichia coli. Biosynthesis and characterization.

We describe the biosynthesis in vitro of the mannose acceptor of the O9 mannan synthesis by Escherichia coli membranes and its analysis with chemical, enzymatic and physical means. Membranes from E. coli 1357 (O9:K29-:H-his,pmi,rfe) were incubated with 10 mM UDP-glucose and 20 mM magnesium chloride in large scale.

[The problem of sterility in men and women after wide area sub-diaphragmatic irradiation (author's transl)].

Sub-diaphragmatic irradiation in an upside down Y pattern for Hodgkin's disease results in sterility in the women. Protection consists of irradiating the lumbar chain only when possible or by displacement of the ovary before irradiation, and laterally for preference. Although subsequent pregnancy is then possible, the genetic risk remains.