Heterogeneity of human biliary mucin: functional implications.

1. Human gallbladder mucin has been implicated as playing a role in the pathogenesis of gallstones. In previous studies no differences have been found in the content or composition of mucins derived from control bile or cholesterol gallstone bile.

The sulcus connection. On a mode of participation of outer hair cells in cochlear mechanics.

Motile outer hair cells (OHCs) can only participate well in cochlear mechanics when one end of the hair cells is more restrained in its movements than the other. On this thought a model of the organ of Corti (OoC) is developed in which (in every cross section) the tectorial membrane (TM) is considered to consist of two stiff segments connected by a hinge. Movements of the TM then induce movements of the fluid contained in the inner spiral sulcus (ISS) and the fluid dynamics of the sulcus will play an important part in restraining the top ends of the hair cells.

Background mortality in clinical survival studies.

In long-term follow-up studies of survival after an initial event (eg, an operation) mortality from causes other than the one under study obscures the results, especially in elderly patients. In the traditional approach to the calculation of expected mortality a fictitious cohort is drawn from the general population, being matched for age, sex, and calendar time at the time of the initial event. The membership of this cohort is then kept constant from the initial event until the closing date of the study.

Cytosine-arabinoside, vincristine, and prednisolone in the treatment of children with disseminated Langerhans cell histiocytosis with organ dysfunction: experience at a single institution.

Fifty-two pediatric patients with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) were diagnosed at the Emma Kinderziekenhuis (EKZ) in Amsterdam over a 20-year period. Eight patients with multiorgan involvement with organ dysfunction and ten patients with multi-organ involvement without organ dysfunction received chemotherapy containing cytosine-arabinoside, vincristine, and prednisolone as part of their treatment. Five of the 8 patients (63%) with organ dysfunction and eight of the 10 (80%) without the organ dysfunction who needed chemotherapy because of the deteriorating of symptoms despite conventional therapy are presently in complete clinical remission.

The carboxyl-terminal tripeptide serine-lysine-leucine of firefly luciferase is necessary but not sufficient for peroxisomal import in yeast.

Firefly luciferase is imported into peroxisomes in insects, mammals, plants, and yeast, which implies that the mechanism of protein translocation into peroxisomes has been conserved during eukaryotic evolution. The carboxyl-terminal tripeptide serine-lysine-leucine in luciferase acts as a peroxisomal import signal in mammalian cells. We have investigated whether this tripeptide is also involved in translocation of firefly luciferase into peroxisomes in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

Shigella-specific IgA in saliva of children with bacillary dysentery.

To study the secretory immune response after Shigella infection, the anti-lipopolysaccharide and anti-Shiga-toxin response in saliva, obtained from children with confirmed shigellosis and healthy children, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by Western blot. Children with infection showed high titers compared to healthy controls. After Shigella dysenteriae type 1 infection a significant change in titer could be observed in a large number of cases, in contrast to Shigella flexneri infection.

The fate of antigen-antibody complexes in the rabbit cornea.

The mechanisms involved in the clearance of immune deposits in tissues are not yet clear. The cornea was chosen as a model to examine this question due to its avascularity and transparency. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and rabbit anti BSA serum were injected at opposite sites into the corneal stroma of unsensitized rabbits.

Transesophageal echocardiography in pediatric patients: preliminary results.

Transesophageal echocardiography was attempted in 59 pediatric patients with congenital heart disease in the operating room (n = 33) or during heart catheterization or in the intensive care unit (n = 26). Six different commercially available transducers were used with diameters ranging from 7 to 15 mm. Age ranged from 1 day to 16 years, and body weight ranged from 3.

Anterior decompression and stabilization of thoracolumbar burst fractures by the use of the Slot-Zielke device.

Between July 1983 and November 1986, 29 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures underwent a one-stage operation consisting of anterior decompression by subtotal vertebrectomy, reduction, and stabilization with the Slot-Zielke device. The mean follow-up was 3.1 years.

Anterior decompression and stabilization of thoracolumbar burst fractures using the Slot-Zielke-device.

A retrospective study was performed on 62 patients treated for thoracolumbar burst fractures. The Fracture Study Protocol of the Scoliosis Research Society was used for data collection. The first group consisted of 29 patients, treated between July 1983 and November 1986 with an one-stage operation consisting of anterior decompression by subtotal vertebrectomy, reduction and stabilization with the Slot-Zielke device.

Development of infants of drug dependent mothers.

Infants of mothers who used methadone, heroin, cocaine and other drugs during pregnancy were compared with a group of control infants over the first 30 mths of life. Results of repeated examinations with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development showed a difference between the groups in mental development. No differences were found in a non-verbal version of the mental scale, but infants of drug dependent mothers seem to have specific difficulties in early language development.

Endoscopic balloon dilation of the pylorus after esophagogastrostomy without a drainage procedure.

The necessity to perform a drainage procedure after esophagectomy using the stomach for substitution remains controversial. Transection of the pyloric sphincter may cause severe and debilitating gastroesophagitis because of increased duodenogastric reflux. Omitting the drainage procedure may lead to gastric stasis.

A diminished adherence of blood lymphocytes of patients with thyroid autoimmune disease to high endothelial venules in the thyroid and the thyroid-draining lymph nodes.

The function of high endothelial venules (HEVs), present in the T-cell area of lymphoid tissue is to attract lymphocytes to secondary lymphoid organs ("homing"). In Graves' disease, sporadic goitre and lymphocytic thyroiditis HEVs develop in the thyroid. To study the "homing" of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of healthy individuals and thyroid patients to the thyroid area we studied the adherence of PBL of such individuals to HEVs present in Hashimoto's goitres and to HEVs in thyroid draining lymph nodes.