Control of protein function through oxidation and reduction of persulfidated states

Irreversible oxidation of Cys residues to sulfinic/sulfonic forms typically impairs protein function. We found that persulfidation (CysSSH) protects Cys from irreversible oxidative loss of function by the formation of CysSSO_1-3H derivatives that can subsequently be reduced back to native thiols. Reductive reactivation of oxidized persulfides by the thioredoxin system was demonstrated in albumin, Prx2, and PTP1B. In cells, this mechanism protects and regulates key proteins of signaling pathways, including Prx2, PTEN, PTP1B, HSP90, and KEAP1. Using quantitative mass spectrometry, we show that (i) CysSSH and CysSSO₃H species are abundant in mouse liver and enzymatically regulated by the glutathione and thioredoxin systems and (ii) deletion of the thioredoxin-related protein TRP14 in mice altered CysSSH levels on a subset of proteins, predicting a role for TRP14 in persulfide signaling. Furthermore, selenium supplementation, polysulfide treatment, or knockdown of TRP14 mediated cellular responses to EGF, suggesting a role for TrxR1/TRP14-regulated oxidative persulfidation in growth factor responsiveness.

Recruitment of bone marrow-derived cells to the periodontal ligament via the stromal cell-derived factor-1/C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 axis

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The periodontal ligament (PDL) is a non-mineralized connective tissue that exists between the alveolar bone and root surface cementum and plays important roles in tooth function. The PDL harbors a remarkable reserve of multipotent stem cells, which maintain various types of cells. However, the sources of these stem cells, other than their developmental origin, are not well understood.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

To elucidate the recruitment of bone marrow (BM)-derived stem cells in the PDL, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing BM-derived cells were transplanted into the femoral BM of immunodeficient rats, and the distribution and expression of stem cell markers in the PDL were analyzed in vivo. To evaluate the functional significance of BM-derived cells to the PDL, tooth replantation was performed and the expression of stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1, a critical chemotactic signal for mesenchymal stem cell recruitment, was analyzed. To confirm the SDF-1-dependency of BM-derived cell migration to the PDL, PDL-conditioned medium (CM) was prepared, and BM-derived cell migration was analyzed using a transwell culture system.

RESULTS

Four weeks after cell transplantation, GFP-positive cells were detected in the PDL, and some of them were also positive for stem cell markers (i.e., CD29, SSEA4, and αSMA). Seven days after tooth replantation, the number of GFP- and SDF-1-positive cells significantly increased in PDL. Concurrently, the concentration of SDF-1 and the number of colony-forming units of fibroblasts in peripheral blood were increased. BM-derived cell migration increased in PDL-CM and was inhibited by an inhibitor of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), an SDF-1 receptor.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that stem cells and their progeny in PDL are not only derived from their developmental origin but are also supplied from the BM via the blood as the need arises. Moreover, this BM-derived cell recruitment appears to be regulated, at least partially, by the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis.

Surgical removal of an isolated femoral metastasis of uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

A bone metastasis from uterine cervical cancer normally indicates short life expectancy. Resection of the lesion is therefore palliative. The authors consider herein whether surgical resection can promote disease control while improving quality of life. A 33-year-old woman -presenting FIGO Stage IB 1 uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma underwent a radical hysterectomy and pelvic irradiation. Twenty-two-months later, a solitary femoral metastasis was detected. Given the pain, imminent bone fracture, the patient's relative youth, absence of other metastases, and complete control of the primary lesion, wide excision of the lesion, and reconstruction were performed. Sixteen months later, she was disease-free and ambulatory using a cane. The findings of both the present case and the review showed that patients were disease-free for over one year after surgery, suggesting that resection may assist disease control as well as improve patients' quality of life.

Development of non-invasive method for assessment of hepatic steatosis

Steatosis is a critical feature of liver disease and is considered to play a pivotal role in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as being a surrogate marker of metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to develop a non-invasive diagnostic method for assessment of liver steatosis. It is well known that ultrasonic velocity depends on materials and temperature. For example, the ultrasonic velocity in water is 1530m/s at 37°C and 1534m/s at 39°C, while that in fat is 1412m/s at 37°C and 1402m/s at 39°C. On this basis, we thought that the percentage of fat in hepatic steatosis could be assessed by detecting changes of ultrasonic in the liver, caused by warming. In order to confirm the effectiveness of this method, we obtained the ultrasonic velocity changes of tissue phantom including lard oil and the liver of living rabbit by ultrasonic warming, and then succeeded in 2-D imaging of ultrasonic velocity changes of the phantom and the liver of living rabbit. We named this the ultrasonic velocity-change method. The experimental results show the possibility that hepatic steatosis could be characterized using our novel, non-invasive method.

An analysis of the best method for evaluating anteversion of the acetabular component after total hip replacement on plain radiographs

Several radiological methods of measuring anteversion of the acetabular component after total hip replacement (THR) have been described. These studies used different definitions and reference planes to compare methods, allowing for misinterpretation of the results. We compared the reliability and accuracy of five current methods using plain radiographs (those of Lewinnek, Widmer, Liaw, Pradhan, and Woo and Morrey) with CT measurements, using the same definition and reference plane. We retrospectively studied the plain radiographs and CT scans in 84 hips of 84 patients who underwent primary THR. Intra- and inter-observer reliability were high for the measurement of inclination and anteversion with all methods on plain radiographs and CT scans. The measurements of inclination on plain radiographs were similar to the measurements using CT (p = 0.043). The mean difference between CT measurements was 0.6° (-5.9° to 6.8°).

Measurements using Widmer’s method were the most similar to those using CT (p = 0.088), with a mean difference between CT measurements of -0.9° (-10.4° to 9.1°), whereas the other four methods differed significantly from those using CT (p < 0.001).

This study has shown that Widmer’s method is the best for evaluating the anteversion of the acetabular component on plain radiographs.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2014; 96-B:597–603.

Application of a theory for particle statistics to structure refinement from powder diffraction data

A new methodology is proposed for structure refinement using powder diffraction data, from which models for particle statistics and any other statistical errors can be formally optimized. This method is nothing but a straightforward implementation of the maximum-likelihood method, extended to the error estimation. Structure parameters refined by the method for fluorapatite [Ca5(PO4)3F], anglesite (PbSO4) and barite (BaSO4) become significantly closer to those obtained by single-crystal structure analyses in comparison with the results of the conventional Rietveld method.

Particle statistics of a capillary specimen in synchrotron powder diffractometry

Particle statistics in synchrotron powder diffractometry measured in a capillary transmission mode have been theoretically and experimentally investigated. General mathematical formulae for statistical analysis of observed intensities measured by a spinner-scan method are derived. It is shown that an additional parameter to characterize the size distribution of crystallites can be evaluated from the skewness of the distribution of measured diffraction intensities obtained by the spinner-scan method applied to capillary specimens.

Evaluation of particle statistics in powder diffractometry by a spinner-scan method

The uncertainty in measured diffraction intensities caused by particle statistics, which originates from the limited number of crystallites satisfying the diffraction condition, has been evaluated by a step-scan measurement about the rotation angle of a specimen-spinning attachment of a laboratory powder X-ray diffractometer. The residual statistical variance of the spinner-scan intensity data, after subtraction of periodic drift and variance caused by counting statistics, was assigned to the variance caused by particle statistics. Particle statistics for a standard Si powder (NIST SRM640c) and three size fractions (nominally 3–7, 8–12 and 18–22 µm in Stokes diameter) of quartz powder separated by a sedimentation method have been analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the spinner-scan method using a powder X-ray diffractometer. It has been confirmed that the observed ratio of the squared diffraction-peak intensity to the variance caused by particle statistics is proportional to the multiplicity of reflections predicted by the crystal structure. The spinner-scan intensity data for the standard Si powder (NIST SRM640c), the effective particle diameter of which was estimated at 5.6 µm by SEM image analysis, was used as the standard for crystallite-size evaluation of quartz powder based on analysis of spinner-scan data. The effective crystallite diameters of the three quartz powder samples have been estimated at 6.5 (2), 11.7 (2) and 22.8 (2) µm by the analysis of the spinner-scan data, while the effective particle diameters evaluated by SEM image analysis are 7.1, 12 and 25 µm, respectively. Other possible applications of the analysis of particle statistics based on the spinner-scan method are also discussed.

Statistical properties of measured X-ray intensities affected by counting loss

The statistical properties of X-ray intensities measured with counting systems have been experimentally investigated. A formula of statistical variance for the intermediately extended dead-time model is proposed and compared with the experimentally evaluated variance obtained from repeated measurements based on Chipman's foil method applied to X-ray detection systems of laboratory and synchrotron powder diffractometers. It has been found that the variance of the observed intensities is smaller than the average of count, as has been suggested by conventional theoretical models for counting loss. It is shown that the statistical errors can be predicted by applying an intermediately extended dead-time model including dead-time τ and degree of extension ρ as fixed parameters.

Second-order, two-electron Dyson propagator theory: Comparisons for vertical double ionization potentials

The second-order, two-electron Dyson propagator is derived using superoperator theory with a spin-adapted formulation. To include certain ladder diagrams to all orders, the shifted-denominator (SD2) approximation is made. Formal and computational comparisons with other approximations illustrate the advantages of the SD2 procedure. Vertical double ionization potentials (DIPs) for a set of closed-shell molecules are evaluated with the second-order propagator and the SD2 method. The results of the SD2 approximation are in good agreement with experiment. To systematically examine the quality of the results, we compared SD2 and equation-of-motion, coupled-cluster predictions. The average absolute discrepancy is 0.26 eV for 36 doubly ionized states.

Monte Carlo simulation of the effect of counting losses on measured X-ray intensities

The statistical properties of intensities affected by counting loss based on conventional non-extended and extended dead-time models are examined by a Monte Carlo method. It has been confirmed that the variance of the counted pulses for the non-extended dead-time model with the rate of generated pulsesr and the dead-time τ is given by \sigma_{\rm non}^2 = \mu_{\rm non}/(1+r \tau)^2, while that for the extended dead-time model is given by \sigma_{\rm ext}^2 = \mu_{\rm ext} [1 - 2r\tau \exp(-r \tau)], as proposed by Laundy & Collins [(2003).J. Synchrotron Rad.10, 214–218], for the mean values of counted pulses μnonand μext, respectively. Practical formulae to estimate the statistical errors of the corrected intensities are also presented.

[Mitral valve plasty for acute infective endocarditis; report of a case]

A 68-year-old woman was admitted with congestive heart failure and septic shock associated with suspected mitral valve acute infective endocarditis. Echocardiography revealed vegetations attached to both mitral leaflets, prolapse of the posterior mitral leaflet and severe mitral regurgitation. Emergent surgery was performed. The anterior mitral leaflet displayed multiple vegetations. The entire anterior leaflet of mitral valve was replaced with pericardium. The posterior mitral leaflet of the middle scallop was prolapsed with an attached vegetation. Quadrangular resection was performed. A commissural reconstruction by sliding commissuroplasty for a prolapse of both anterior and posterior leaflets in the paracommissural area and autologous pericardial mitral annuloplasty was performed. Mitral regurgitation disappeared postoperatively, and the patient is now doing well as of 5 years postoperatively.

Symmetrization of diffraction peak profiles measured with a high-resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffractometer

The asymmetry of diffraction peak profiles observed with a high-resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffractometer has been successfully removed by a double deconvolution method. In the first step, the asymmetry caused by the axial divergence aberration of the diffractometer is removed by a whole-pattern deconvolution method based on ana prioritheoretical model for the aberration. In the second step, the residual asymmetry, the origin of which can be ascribed to the aberrations of the beamline optics, is also removed by a whole-pattern deconvolution method, based on an empirical model derived from the analysis of experimental diffraction peak profiles of a standard Si powder (NIST SRM640b). The beamline aberration has been modelled by the convolution of a pseudo-Voigt or Voigt function with an exponential distribution function. It has been found that the angular dependence of the asymmetry parameter in the exponential function is almost proportional to tanθ, which supports the idea that the residual asymmetry should be ascribed mainly to the intrinsic asymmetry in the spectroscopic distribution of the source X-ray supplied by the beamline optics of the synchrotron facility. Recently developed procedures of whole-pattern deconvolution have been improved to treat the singularity of the instrumental function in the measured angular range. Formulae for the whole-pattern deconvolution based on the Williamson–Hall-type dependence of the width parameter of the instrumental function have also been developed. The method was applied to the diffraction intensity data of a standard ZnO powder sample (NIST SRM674) measured with a high-resolution powder diffractometer on beamline BL4B2at the Photon Factory. The structure parameters of ZnO were refined from the integrated peak intensities, which were extracted by an individual profile fitting method applying symmetric profile models. The refined structure parameters coincide fairly well with those obtained from single-crystal data.

Connection of segmented intensity data measured with a multiple-detector system for powder diffractometry

A Fourier method to connect segmented intensity data measured with a multiple-detector system (MDS) for powder diffractometry has been developed. Differences in sensitivity, slight shifts in peak positions and asymmetric instrumental broadening for different detectors are simultaneously adjusted by a Fourier-based deconvolution/convolution method. The Fourier transform of the adjustment function is evaluated as the ratio of the Fourier transforms of the intensity data sets in the overlapped region measured with the adjacent detectors. Even and odd polynomial functions with maximum order of 10 are separately fitted to the real and imaginary parts of the experimentally evaluated Fourier-transformed adjustment by a least-squares method applying an appropriate weighting for the Fourier-transformed data. The complex of the optimized polynomials is used to adjust the data measured with a detector in order to connect them with the data measured with an adjacent detector. The method is applied to connect the powder diffraction data of ZnO powder measured with the MDS on beamline BL4B2at the Photon Factory in Tsukuba. Slight differences in line width, asymmetry and sharpness detected in the observed diffraction peak profiles measured with the different detectors have successfully been removed by the Fourier-based adjustment procedures.

Correction for counting losses in X-ray diffractometry

Non-extended and extended dead-time models, a pulse-height analyser (PHA) windowing model, and a model intermediate between the non-extended and extended models for losses in counting methods are compared. The validities of the methods are examined by application to the analysis of powder diffraction peak intensity profiles measured by a foil method. The intermediate model including parameters for the dead-time and degree of extension can reproduce both the non-extended and the extended models and also intermediate dependence between the two models. A convenient approximate formula for the intermediate model, the maximum relative deviation of which is 0.0003, is also proposed. The determination of the parameters and a correction for the measured intensities can easily be achieved by applying the approximate model, because it provides simple formulae for the correction function expressed as a combination of elementary functions. Experimental and analytical methods for precise evaluation of the parameters to specify the counting losses are also presented. Systematic deviations of the observed dependence from the non-extended and extended dead-time models have been detected by the precise analyses of experimental data, while the PHA windowing model, intermediate model and its approximation have reproduced the observed dependence within the experimental errors.

[Therapeutic strategies for postinfarction left ventricular free wall rupture]

We treated 93 patients who developed left ventricular free wall rupture after acute myocardial infarction. Medical management including pericardial drainage was performed in 78 patients (84%), but 67 of them died. All 11 surviving patients showed an oozing type rupture. Surgical repair was performed in 15 patients (16%). As a result, 9 patients died and 6 survived. All but 1 of the patients who died presented with a blow-out rupture. Blow-out type rupture occurred in 3 and oozing type rupture in 3 of the surviving patients. One patient with blow-out type rupture underwent implantation of a left ventricular assist device following percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS), because of low output syndrome after the operation. The device was successfully removed 7 days after implantation. In all of the 3 patients with oozing type rupture, sutureless technique was successfully performed using fibrin-glue or fibrin-glue sheet fixation. After a mean follow-up period of 7 years after operation, 5 of 6 are still alive. To improve the clinical outcome of left ventricular free wall rupture, it is important for surgeons to closely liaise with physicians, to perform surgical repair as soon as possible, and to utilize a circulatory support system after operation. Therefore, we developed a new PCPS system compatible with emergency cardiac surgery and a new left ventricular assist system draining via the left ventricle.

Diffraction peak profiles from spherical crystallites with lognormal size distribution

An efficient and accurate method to evaluate the theoretical diffraction peak profiles from spherical crystallites with lognormal size distribution (SLN profile) is presented. Precise results can be obtained typically by an eight-term numerical integral for any values of the parameters, by applying an appropriate substitution of the variable to the integral formula. The calculated SLN profiles have been verified by comparison with those calculated by inverse Fourier transform from the exact analytical solution of the Fourier-transformed SLN profile. It has been found that the shape of the SLN profile strongly depends on the variance of size distribution. When the logarithmic standard deviation ω of the size distribution is close to 0.76, the SLN profile becomes close to a Lorentzian profile, and `super-Lorentzian' profiles are predicted for larger values of ω, as has been concluded by Popa & Balzar [J. Appl. Cryst.(2002),35, 338–346]. The intrinsic diffraction peak profiles of an SiC powder sample obtained by deconvolution of the instrumental function have certainly shown `super-Lorentzian' line profiles, and they are well reproduced by the SLN profile for the value ω = 0.93.

[Recurrent right atrial myxoma five years after removal of left atrial myxoma; report of a case]

A 41-year-old man had undergone resection of a left atrial myxoma 5 years previously. Echocardiography revealed a new mass in the right atrium. Because of had increased in size gradually, removal of the right atrial mass involving full-thickness resection of the fossa ovalis was performed. Cardiac myxoma has the potential for heterotopic recurrence.

Quantitative basis for the rocking-curve measurement of preferred orientation in polycrystalline thin films

A quantitative basis for the rocking-curve measurement of the preferred orientation in polycrystalline thin films is presented. Gaussian functions are used for modeling the density distribution of the normals to the crystal plane around the normal to the specimen surface. An intensity formula for the rocking curve is derived from the kinematical theory applied to the case of asymmetric Bragg reflection. The density distribution is determined by the least-squares fit of a theoretical rocking curve to the observed curve, and a volume fraction of crystallites, whose normals to the crystal plane are present within a defined angular range, can be obtained from it. AlN and Au polycrystalline thin films were used for testing the present procedure. Parameter values of the model function, refined using both synchrotron radiation and laboratory X-rays, agree well with each other within the experimental errors although these intensity data sets were collected under different experimental conditions in instrumentation and wavelength. A distribution of depth-dependent preferred orientation in the AlN thin film was revealed by using double-layer and multiple-layer models. A very small degree of preferred orientation in Au thin films could also be measured. Parallel-beam optics and integrated intensities instead of peak height intensities are important for reliable rocking curve measurement.

Deconvolution of instrumental aberrations for synchrotron powder X-ray diffractometry

A method to remove the effects of instrumental aberrations from the whole powder diffraction pattern measured with a high-resolution synchrotron powder diffractometer is presented. Two types of asymmetry in the peak profiles caused by (i) the axial-divergence aberration of the diffractometer (diffractometer aberration) and (ii) the aberration of the monochromator and focusing optics on the beamline (beamline aberration) are both taken into account. The method is based on the whole-pattern deconvolution by Fourier technique combined with the abscissa-scale transformation appropriate for each instrumental aberration. The experimental powder diffraction data of LaB6(NIST SRM660) measured on beamline BL-4B2at the Photon Factory in Tsukuba have been analysed by the method. The formula of the scale transformation for the diffractometer aberration hasa prioribeen derived from the instrumental function with geometric parameters of the optics. The strongly deformed experimental peak profiles at low diffraction angles have been transformed to sharp peak profiles with less asymmetry by the deconvolution of the diffractometer aberration. The peak profiles obtained by the deconvolution of the diffractometer aberration were modelled by an asymmetric model profile function synthesized by the convolution of the extended pseudo-Voigt function and an asymmetric component function with an empirical asymmetry parameter, which were linearly dependent on the diffraction angle. Fairly symmetric peak profiles have been obtained by further deconvolution of the empirically determined asymmetric component of the beamline aberration.

Electronic state of small and large cavities for methane hydrate

It is well known that methane hydrate is aggregates of small and large hydrogen bonded water cavities (composed of 12 pentagonal faces of 20 water molecules, and 12 pentagonal and two hexagonal faces of 24 water molecules, respectively) where one methane molecule is encaged. We calculated the methane molecule in vacuum, the small and large cavities by ab initio MO method to clarify the electronic state. The proton of methane in the cavities is shown to form the weak hydrogen bond (O...H[bond]C) between methane and four water molecules, and the H-bond lengths and energies in the small and large cavities were estimated as (0.293 nm, 6.8 kJ/mol) and (0.309 nm, 5.2 kJ/mol), respectively. The calculated values of symmetric C[bond]H stretching frequencies and (13)C-NMR chemical shieldings of the methane in the two cluster cavities show good agreement with the experimental ones observed by Sum et al. and Ripmeester and coworker, respectively.

Role for central ghrelin in food intake and secretion profile of stomach ghrelin in rats

Ghrelin, a 28-amino-acid peptide, has recently been isolated from the rat stomach as an endogenous ligand for the GH secretagogue receptor. We have reported previously that central or peripheral administration of ghrelin stimulates food intake, and the secretion of GH and gastric acid in rats. In the present study, we investigated how much endogenous centrally released ghrelin is involved in the control of food intake and body weight gain. We also examined the profile of ghrelin secretion from the stomach by RIA using two kinds of anti-ghrelin antiserum, one raised against the N-terminal ([Cys(12)]-ghrelin[1-11]) region and one raised against the C-terminal ([Cys(0)]-ghrelin [13-28]) region of the peptide. The former antibody recognizes specifically ghrelin with n- octanoylated Ser 3 (acyl ghrelin), and does not recognize des-acyl ghrelin. The latter also recognizes des-acyl ghrelin (i.e. total ghrelin). Intracerebroventricular treatment with the anti-ghrelin antiserum against the N-terminal region twice a day for 5 days decreased significantly both daily food intake and body weight. Des-acyl ghrelin levels were significantly higher in the gastric vein than in the trunk. Either fasting for 12 h, administration of gastrin or cholecystokinin resulted in increase of both acyl and des-acyl ghrelin levels. The ghrelin levels exhibited a diurnal pattern, with the bimodal peaks occurring before dark and light periods. These two peaks were consistent with maximum and minimum volumes of gastric content respectively. These results suggest that (1) endogenous centrally released ghrelin participates in the regulation of food intake and body weight, (2) acyl ghrelin is secreted from the stomach, (3) intestinal hormones stimulate ghrelin release from the stomach, and (4) regulation of the diurnal rhythm of ghrelin is complex, since ghrelin secretion is augmented under conditions of both gastric emptying and filling.

Association of beta-fibrinogen and factor VII polymorphism with plasma fibrinogen and factor VII levels, and no association of PAI-1 polymorphism with plasma PAI-1 levels in hemodialysis patients

AIMS

Recent studies have stressed the roles of genetic factors on the plasma levels of hemostatic markers and on cardiovascular complications. We investigated the association of DNA polymorphisms for beta-fibrinogen, factor VII, and PAI-1 with plasma levels of these factors and with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and cerebral infarction (CI) in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD).

METHODS

beta-fibrinogen G/A-455, factor VII R353Q and PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphisms were determined by PCR-RFLP in 149 HD patients and in 100 controls. The plasma levels of fibrinogen, factor VII and PAI-1 were also measured.

RESULTS

The allele frequencies and the genotype frequencies of these 3 polymorphisms were not different between HD patients and controls. In HD patients, plasma fibrinogen levels were significantly lower in the GG genotype than in the GA genotype, and plasma factor VII activity was significantly higher in the RR genotype than in the RQ genotype. Multiple regression analysis disclosed that CRP and beta-fibrinogen polymorphism were the significant determinants of fibrinogen levels. Plasma PAI-1 levels were not different among the 3 genotypes. The frequency of the A-455 allele was significantly higher in HD patients with CI than in those without CI, and the genotype distribution for beta-fibrinogen differed significantly between the 2 groups. Between the same 2 groups, however, significant differences were found neither in the frequency of the 353Q or 4G allele nor in the genotype distribution for factor VII and PAI-1. No significant differences in the frequency of the G-455, 353Q or 4G alleles, or in the genotype distribution for beta-fibrinogen, factor VII and PAI-1 were observed between patients with IHD and those without IHD. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that neither polymorphism was associated with CI or IHD.

CONCLUSIONS

In HD patients, beta-fibrinogen and factor VII polymorphisms affected plasma levels of fibrinogen and factor VII, respectively. Beta-fibrinogen polymorphism was not an independent but a possible risk factor for CI in HD patients. Further study will be needed to confirm the precise role of 5-fibrinogen polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of CI in HD patients.

Deconvolution of the instrumental functions in powder X-ray diffractometry

A novel method to deconvolute the instrumental aberration functions from the experimental powder X-ray data has been developed. The method is based on the combination of scale transformation, interpolation of data and fast Fourier transformation. The effects of axial divergence, flat specimen, sample transparency and spectroscopic profile of the source X-ray are eliminated from the entire observed diffraction pattern in three-step operations. The errors in the deconvoluted data propagated from the statistical uncertainty in the source data are approximated by the reciprocal of the square root of the correlation between the reciprocal of the variance in the source data and the squared instrumental function. The deconvolution of the instrumental aberration functions enables automatic correction of peak shift and line broadening, and supplies narrow and symmetric peak profiles for a well crystallized sample, which can be fitted by a simple model function. It will be useful in preparatory data processing for precise line profile analysis, accurate determination of lattice parameters and whole pattern fitting for crystal structure analysis.

Reoperative minimally invasive axillocoronary artery bypass to the obtuse marginal branch

A 73-year-old man was admitted with unstable angina, having severe coronary artery disease involving 3 vessels. He had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting to the left anterior descending artery and the obtuse marginal branch using saphenous vein grafts in 1979. Computed tomography showed severe calcium deposition and atherosclerosis in the ascending and descending aorta. We conducted axillocoronary artery bypass to the obtuse marginal branch and left internal thoracic artery as an in situ graft to the left anterior descending artery without cardiopulmonary bypass. Grafts were satisfactory and clinical results good.

Identification of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes by susceptibility testing: epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Japan

A multiple-primer PCR was used to identify genes encoding aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes in 381 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The technique used three sets of primers delineating specific DNA fragments of the aph(3')-III, ant(4')-I, and aac(6')-aph(2") genes, which influence the MICs of gentamicin, tobramycin, and lividomycin. Isolates with none of the three genes detected were susceptible to all three agents. Isolates with the aph(3')-III gene showed resistance to lividomycin (MIC > 1,024 microg/ml), and those with the ant(4')-I gene were resistant to tobramycin (MIC > or = 8 microg/ml). Isolates with only the aac(6')-aph(2") gene were resistant to gentamicin (MIC > or = 8 microg/ml) and tobramycin in decreasing order; those with both the ant(4')-I and aac(6')-aph(2") genes also were resistant to gentamicin and tobramycin, but in increasing order. Susceptibility testing, then, could detect specific genes. In 381 Japanese MRSA isolates, the ant(4')-I, aac(6')-aph(2"), and aph(3')-III genes were prevalent in 84.5, 61.7, and 8.9%, respectively. Isolates with only the ant(4')-I gene had coagulase type II or III, but isolates with both the ant(4')-I and aac(6')-aph(2") genes included all coagulase types. Most isolates with coagulase type IV or VII carried the aac(6')-aph(2") gene. Of the MRSA isolates with ant(4')-I and/or aac(6')-aph(2") genes, 97% were resistant to aminoglycosides in clinical use, but a new aminoglycoside, arbekacin, had excellent activity against these isolates.

[Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the prostate: a case report]

A 64-year-old man presented to our department with urinary retention. Rectal examination revealed a small and soft prostate. PSA was within the normal limits. Computed tomography showed a low-density area around the prostatic urethra and urethrography revealed an irregular prostatic urethra compressed by the prostate. We performed transurethral resection of prostate (TUR-P). On resectoscopy, jelly-like round substances were seen in the bladder. Prostatic urethra and bladder neck were covered with a jelly-like substance. Pathological diagnosis was mucinous adenocarcinoma of the prostate with bladder neck involvement. One month later after TUR-P, we performed radical cystoprostatectomy. Histological findings showed the cancer, of which 70-80% was composed of extracellular mucin lakes containing floating clumps of tumor cells. Mucin lake was stained with alcian blue and PAS. Immunohistochemical study revealed the tumor cells positive for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and negative for prostatic specific antigen (PSA).

Glomerulonephritis after methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection resulting in end-stage renal failure

A 58-year-old man developed proteinuria and renal dysfunction following pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Vancomycin was administered, and prednisolone pulse therapy and plasmapheresis were performed. Subsequently, serum creatinine was decreased. Eight months later, creatinine and CRP were again elevated, and MRSA was detected. Vancomycin was again administered and plasmapheresis was performed. However, renal function was not improved and continuous hemodialysis was initiated. This case indicates that complete eradication of MRSA is necessary to treat MRSA-associated glomerulonephritis, and if this is not attained, a permanent loss of renal function occurs.

Ab initio structure determination of monoclinic 2,2-dihydroxymethylbutanoic acid from synchrotron radiation powder diffraction data: combined use of direct methods and the Monte Carlo method

The crystal structure of 2,2-dihydroxymethylbutanoic acid (C(6)H(12)O(4)) in monoclinic form has been determined ab initio from synchrotron radiation powder diffraction data. Two O and five C atoms were first derived by direct methods. Two missing O atoms and one C atom were found by the Monte Carlo method without applying constraint to their relative positions. Positional and isotropic displacement parameters of these non-H atoms were refined by the Rietveld method. Molecules are linked by hydrogen bonds and they make sheet-like networks running parallel to the (010) plane. The Monte Carlo method is demonstrated to be a powerful tool for finding missing atoms in partially solved structure.

Peak profile function for synchrotron X-ray diffractometry

A formula of the instrumental function for a high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffractometer, equipped with a flat crystal analyser and a set of Soller slits for limiting the axial divergence of the diffracted beam, has been derived. The formula incorporates the effects of (i) the axial divergence of the diffracted beam limited by the Soller slits, (ii) the Bragg angle of the flat crystal analyser, and (iii) the tilt angle defined as the deviation of the normal direction of the analyser face from the goniometer plane. The model profile function given by the convolution of a Lorentzian function with the instrumental function has been applied to fit the experimental diffraction peak profiles of standard Si powder (NIST SRM640b) measured with a high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffractometer, MDS, on beamline BL4B2 at the Photon Factory in Tsukuba. The convolution has been calculated by applying an efficient algorithm for numerical integration. The profile function reproduces not only the experimental profiles measured with a well aligned crystal analyser, but also significantly distorted profiles arising from misalignment of the analyser, withRpvalues within 1.4%, by varying only the instrumental parameter for the tilt angle. It is suggested that further convolution with a Gaussian distribution is practically not necessary for the model instrumental function to fit the data collected with MDS. More rapid computation can be achieved by applying an analytical formula of the profile function, when the tilt angle of the crystal analyser is within about 0.2°.

IgA nephropathy with complement deficiency

We treated a female patient suffering from immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy and congenital deficiency of the ninth component of the complement system (C9). She was admitted with hematuria and proteinuria, and the C9 deficiency was diagnosed based on the low hemolytic activity of 50 % of the hemolytic unit of the complements (CH50) and the normal C3 level in the plasma. Renal biopsy revealed mild mesangial proliferation, and immunofluorescence examination revealed mild mesangial deposits of IgA and C3 with the same distribution. We discuss the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy and the role of the complements in its progression.

CP6679, a new injectable cephalosporin. Part 1: synthesis and structure-activity relationships

A series of cephalosporins bearing a 5,5-fused ring system, an (imidazo[5,1-b]thiazolium-6-yl)methyl group, at the C-3 position were synthesized and evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activities. CP6679 (1s) and its analogues showed potent antibacterial activities against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They were also highly active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). CP6679 (1s) showed more potent antibacterial activity than ceftazidime (CAZ) or cefpirome (CPR) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and MRSA.

Extended pseudo-Voigt function for approximating the Voigt profile

The formula of the pseudo-Voigt function expressed by a weighted sum of Gaussian and Lorentzian functions is extended by adding two other types of peak functions in order to improve the accuracy when approximating the Voigt profile. The full width at half-maximum (FWHM) values and mixing parameters of the Gaussian, the Lorentzian and the other two component functions in the extended formula can be approximated by polynomials of a parameter ρ = ΓL/(ΓG+ ΓL), where ΓGand ΓLare the FWHM values of the deconvoluted Gaussian and Lorentzian functions, respectively. The maximum deviation of the extended pseudo-Voigt function from the Voigt profile is within 0.12% relative to the peak height when sixth-order polynomial expansions are used. The systematic errors of the integrated intensity ΓGand ΓL, estimated by fitting the extended formula to Voigt profiles, are typically less than 1/10 of the errors arising from the application of the original formula of the pseudo-Voigt approximation proposed by Thompsonet al.[J. Appl. Cryst.(1987),20, 79–83], while the time required for computation of the extended formula is only about 2.5 relative to the computation time required for the original formula.