The sequence of a cytoplasmic intermediate filament (IF) protein from theannelid Lumbricus terrestris emphasizes a distinctive feature of protostomic IF proteins

AbstractThe complete cDNA clone for a cytoplasmic intermidiatefilament (IF) protein from the annelid Lumbricus terrestris reported here, shows an extra 42 residues in the coil 1b subdomain of the central rod, as do the IF proteins from nematodes and moluscs. These extra six heptads are also present in all nuclear lamins but not in any known vertebrate cytoplasmic IF protein. Thus, it seems that protostomic metazoa conserve a lamin-like structural element in their cytoplasmic IF proteins, which was lost in the deuterostomic metazoan branch leading to the vertebrates

Effects of endovascular therapy for renal artery stenosis on blood pressure and renal function. Retrospective analysis of an unselected patient collective from 1994 to 2007

A retrospective analysis of the long-term success rates of endoluminal therapy of renal artery stenosis in a university hospital was carried out. Preinterventional and postinterventional data contained in the clinical records of all 104 patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA, 25 patients) or stent PTA (79 patients) from 01 January 1994 to 31 December 2007, were documented using an electronically structured questionnaire and a time period classification. Subgroup analyses and statistical calculations were done using t-tests for joint random samples. At day 1 postintervention all patients showed a statistically significant decrease in mean systolic blood pressure (all patients: p=0.002, stent PTA group: p=0.023, PTA group: p=0.022). The significant decrease in mean systolic blood pressure persisted in years 1 and 2 postintervention (all patients: p=0.009 and 0.007, stent PTA group: p=0.039 and 0.015, respectively). Mean blood pressure values remained constant during the other time periods analyzed. In patients with a stent PTA carried out between 2001 and 2007 there was no significant reduction of prescribed antihypertonic drugs (p=0.023 and p=0.046, respectively). Mean serum creatinine concentrations decreased during years 1 and 2 postintervention and increased starting in year 3. In patients with elevated serum creatinine levels prior to the intervention the increase in mean serum creatinine level started in year 5. Endoluminal therapy of arteriosclerotic renal artery stenosis delays further deterioration of renal function and stabilizes blood pressure as well as the number of prescribed antihypertonic drugs. This can be considered a response to treatment in view of the mostly chronic progressive course of the disease