Liver Transplantation to Provide Low-Density-Lipoprotein Receptors and Lower Plasma Cholesterol in a Child with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

A six-year-old girl with severe hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis had two defective genes at the low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) receptor locus, as determined by biochemical studies of cultured fibroblasts. One gene, inherited from the mother, produced no LDL receptors; the other gene, inherited from the father, produced a receptor precursor that was not transported to the cell surface and was unable to bind LDL. The patient degraded intravenously administered 125I-LDL at an extremely low rate, indicating that her high plasma LDL-cholesterol level was caused by defective receptor-mediated removal of LDL from plasma. After transplantation of a liver and a heart from a normal donor, the patient's plasma LDL-cholesterol level declined by 81 per cent, from 988 to 184 mg per deciliter. The fractional catabolic rate for intravenously administered 125I-LDL, a measure of functional LDL receptors in vivo, increased by 2.5-fold. Thus, the transplanted liver, with its normal complement of LDL receptors, was able to remove LDL cholesterol from plasma at a nearly normal rate. We conclude that a genetically determined deficiency of LDL receptors can be largely reversed by liver transplantation. These data underscore the importance of hepatic LDL receptors in controlling the plasma level of LDL cholesterol in human beings. (N Engl J Med 1984; 311: 1658–64.). © 1984, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved

A noninvasive method for in situ determination of mating success in female American lobsters (Homarus americanus)

Despite being one of the most productive fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic, much remains unknown about the natural reproductive dynamics of American lobsters. Recent work in exploited crustacean populations (crabs and lobsters) suggests that there are circumstances where mature females are unable to achieve their full reproductive potential due to sperm limitation. To examine this possibility in different regions of the American lobster fishery, a reliable and noninvasive method was developed for sampling large numbers of female lobsters at sea. This method involves inserting a blunt-tipped needle into the female's seminal receptacle to determine the presence or absence of a sperm plug and to withdraw a sample that can be examined for the presence of sperm. A series of control studies were conducted at the dock and in the laboratory to test the reliability of this technique. These efforts entailed sampling 294 female lobsters to confirm that the presence of a sperm plug was a reliable indicator of sperm within the receptacle and thus, mating. This paper details the methodology and the results obtained from a subset of the total females sampled. Of the 230 female lobsters sampled from George's Bank and Cape Ann, MA (size range = 71-145 mm in carapace length), 90.3% were positive for sperm. Potential explanations for the absence of sperm in some females include: immaturity (lack of physiological maturity), breakdown of the sperm plug after being used to fertilize a clutch of eggs, and lack of mating activity. The surveys indicate that this technique for examining the mating success of female lobsters is a reliable proxy that can be used in the field to document reproductive activity in natural populations

Sumoylation silences the plasma membrane leak K+ channel K2P1.

Reversible, covalent modification with small ubiquitin-related modifier proteins (SUMOs) is known to mediate nuclear import/export and activity of transcription factors. Here, the SUMO pathway is shown to operate at the plasma membrane to control ion channel function. SUMO-conjugating enzyme is seen to be resident in plasma membrane, to assemble with K2P1, and to modify K2P1 lysine 274. K2P1 had not previously shown function despite mRNA expression in heart, brain, and kidney and sequence features like other two-P loop K+ leak (K2P) pores that control activity of excitable cells. Removal of the peptide adduct by SUMO protease reveals K2P1 to be a K+-selective, pH-sensitive, openly rectifying channel regulated by reversible peptide linkage

A BPS Interpretation of Shape Invariance

We show that shape invariance appears when a quantum mechanical model is invariant under a centrally extended superalgebra endowed with an additional symmetry generator, which we dub the shift operator. The familiar mathematical and physical results of shape invariance then arise from the BPS structure associated with this shift operator. The shift operator also ensures that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the energy levels of such a model and the energies of the BPS-saturating states. These findings thus provide a more comprehensive algebraic setting for understanding shape invariance.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, LaTe

The Changing Practice of Bankruptcy Law: An Analysis of How Bankruptcy Practice Has Changed in the Last Decade

The practice of bankruptcy law has changed drastically over the last decade. An attorney starting out in the field in 2009 faces different issue than one who began in 1999. However, it’s not just the issues that come up with clients that make the practice so different, but the law of bankruptcy itself has changed. The economic downturn of the last eighteen months has changed the way the public views bankruptcy. The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 2005 and In re Bateman, a case decided in 2008, altered the landscape of bankruptcy practice forever. This article will walk through a decade of bankruptcy reform, from the points of view of an attorney practicing in 1999 and one practicing in 2009. The purpose of this article is to provide a practical review of the new bankruptcy laws and their impact on how attorneys should practice in today’s bankruptcy world. Through a discussion of the economic climate, legal reform, and the social reform surrounding bankruptcy, we hope to educate today’s attorneys not only of the present state of the law, but the future of bankruptcy practice as well

Multicomponent dynamical systems: SRB measures and phase transitions

We discuss a notion of phase transitions in multicomponent systems and clarify relations between deterministic chaotic and stochastic models of this type of systems. Connections between various definitions of SRB measures are considered as well.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX 2

Is Elective Vulvar Plastic Surgery Ever Warranted, and What Screening Should Be Conducted Preoperatively?

Introduction.  Elective vulvar plastic surgery was the topic of a heated discussion on the list-serve of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Medicine. At the suggestion of a board member, it was determined that this discussion might of interest to journal readers in the form of a published controversy. Methods.  Six people with expertise and/or strong opinions in the area of vulvar health, several of whom had been involved in the earlier online discussion, were invited to submit evidence-based opinions on the topic. Main Outcome Measure.  To provide food for thought, discussion, and possible further research in a poorly discussed area of sexual medicine. Results.  Goodman believes that patients should make their own decisions. Bachmann further states that, while that is a woman's right, she should be counseled first, because variations in looks of the vulvar region are normal. Johnson furthers this thought, discussing the requirement for counseling before performing reinfibulation surgery on victims of female genital cutting. Fourcroy emphasizes the need to base surgical procedures on safety and efficacy in the long term, and not merely opportunity at the moment. Goldstein and Goldstein state that, based on the four principles of ethical practice of medicine, vulvar plastic surgery is not always ethical, but not always unethical. Sklar pursues this thought further, pointing out specific examples in regard to the principles of ethics. Conclusion.  Vulvar plastic surgery may be warranted only after counseling if it is still the patient's preference, provided that it is conducted in a safe manner and not solely for the purpose of performing surgery. Goodman MP, Bachmann G, Johnson C, Fourcroy JL, Goldstein A, Goldstein G, and Sklar S. Is elective vulvar plastic surgery ever warranted, and what screening should be done preoperatively? J Sex Med 2007;4:269–276.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/72245/1/j.1743-6109.2007.00431.x.pd

Caffeine enhances upper body strength in resistance-trained women

BACKGROUND: Research has indicated that low-to-moderate dosages of caffeine supplementation are ergogenic for sustained endurance efforts as well as high-intensity exercise. The effects of caffeine supplementation on strength-power performance are equivocal, with some studies indicating a benefit and others demonstrating no change in performance. The majority of research that has examined the effects of caffeine supplementation on strength-power performance has been carried out in both trained and untrained men. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the acute effects of caffeine supplementation on strength and muscular endurance in resistance-trained women. METHODS: In a randomized manner, 15 women consumed caffeine (6 mg/kg) or placebo (PL) seven days apart. Sixty min following supplementation, participants performed a one-repetition maximum (1RM) barbell bench press test and repetitions to failure at 60% of 1RM. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were assessed at rest, 60 minutes post-consumption, and immediately following completion of repetitions to failure. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significantly greater bench press maximum with caffeine (p CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate a moderate dose of caffeine may be sufficient for enhancing strength performance in resistance-trained women