Cystic lymphangioma of the lesser sac presenting as acute appendicitis: A case report

Intra-abdominal lymphangiomas usually present by 2 years of age and are uncommon in adults. Cystic lymphagiomas arising from the lesser sac are even more uncommon. We report an unusual case of a lesser sac cystic lymphangioma presenting as acute appendicitis. A 21 year old female was admitted with pyrexia, right iliac fossa tenderness and an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). At laparotomy, a large fluid filled cystic lesion was observed occupying the right side of the abdominal cavity. The lesion was excised in its entirety and histological diagnosis confirmed lymphangioma. The patient remains well with no evidence of recurrence 1 year post resection

Diversity in kinetics correlated with structure in nano body-stabilized LacY.

Funder: research foundation-flandersThe structure of lactose permease, stabilized in a periplasmic open conformation by two Gly to Trp replacements (LacYww) and complexed with a nanobody directed against this conformation, provides the highest resolution structure of the symporter. The nanobody binds in a different manner than two other nanobodies made against the same mutant, which also bind to the same general region on the periplasmic side. This region of the protein may represent an immune hotspot. The CDR3 loop of the nanobody is held by hydrogen bonds in a conformation that partially blocks access to the substrate-binding site. As a result, kon and koff for galactoside binding to either LacY or the double mutant complexed with the nanobody are lower than for the other two LacY/nanobody complexes though the Kd values are similar, reflecting the fact that the nanobodies rigidify structures along the pathway. While the wild-type LacY/nanobody complex clearly stabilizes a similar 'extracellular open' conformation in solution, judged by binding kinetics, the complex with wild-type LacY did not yet crystallize, suggesting the nanobody does not bind strongly enough to shift the equilibrium to stabilize a periplasmic side-open conformation suitable for crystallization. However, the similarity of the galactoside binding kinetics for the nanobody-bound complexes with wild type LacY and with LacYWW indicates that they have similar structures, showing that the reported co-structures reliably show nanobody interactions with LacY

Crystal structure of the proteasomal deubiquitylation module Rpn8-Rpn11

The ATP-dependent degradation of polyubiquitylated proteins by the 26S proteasome is essential for the maintenance of proteome stability and the regulation of a plethora of cellular processes. Degradation of substrates is preceded by the removal of polyubiquitin moieties through the isopeptidase activity of the subunit Rpn11. Here we describe three crystal structures of the heterodimer of the Mpr1-Pad1-N-terminal domains of Rpn8 and Rpn11, crystallized as a fusion protein in complex with a nanobody. This fusion protein exhibits modest deubiquitylation activity toward a model substrate. Full activation requires incorporation of Rpn11 into the 26S proteasome and is dependent on ATP hydrolysis, suggesting that substrate processing and polyubiquitin removal are coupled. Based on our structures, we propose that premature activation is prevented by the combined effects of low intrinsic ubiquitin affinity, an insertion segment acting as a physical barrier across the substrate access channel, and a conformationally unstable catalytic loop in Rpn11. The docking of the structure into the proteasome EM density revealed contacts of Rpn11 with ATPase subunits, which likely stabilize the active conformation and boost the affinity for the proximal ubiquitin moiety. The narrow space around the Rpn11 active site at the entrance to the ATPase ring pore is likely to prevent erroneous deubiquitylation of folded proteins

M & L Jaargang 4/5

RedactioneelGreet Plomteux, Linda Wylleman en Rita Steyaert - Over kastelen en buitenplaatsen, parken en tuinen. [Castles and Country Residences, Parks and Gardens.]H. Maes De Grote Geule te Kieldrecht. [The Grote Geul at Kieldrecht.]Carl Depauw De Antwerpse stapelhuizen tijdens de 19de eeuw: een architectuur-historisch onderzoek. [The Antwerp warehouses during the 19th century: an architectural-historical inquiry.]Als bijlage bij M&L 4/5: de brochure "Wandelen door Vlaams Amsterdam

Comparison of pap smear, visual inspection with acetic acid, human papillomavirus DNA-PCR testing and cervicography

Objective: To assess the test qualities of four screening methods to detect cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia in an urban African setting. Method: Six hundred fiftythree women, attending a family planning clinic in Nairobi (Kenya), underwent four concurrent screening methods: pap smear, visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), PCR for high risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) and cervicography. The presence of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) was verified by colposcopy or biopsy. Result: Sensitivity (for CIN2 or higher) and specificity (to exclude any CIN or cancer) were 83.3% (95% CI [73.6, 93.0]) and 94.6% (95% CI [92.6, 96.5]), respectively, for pap smear; 73.3% (95% CI [61.8, 84.9]) and 80.0% (95% CI [76.6, 83.4]) for VIA; 94.4% (95% CI [84.6, 98.8]) and 73.9% (95% CI [69.7, 78.2]) for HR HPV; and 72.3% (95% CI [59.1, 85.6]) and 93.2% (95% CI [90.8, 95.7]) for cervicography. Conclusion: The pap smear had the highest specificity (94.6%) and HPV testing the highest sensitivity (94.4%). The visual methods, VIA and cervicography, were similar and showed an accuracy in between the former two tests

Triple intussusception involving heterotopic pancreatic tissue: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Intussusception involving heterotopic pancreatic tissue is a rare condition where a portion of the bowel telescopes into an adjacent segment with intraluminal pancreatic tissue as the lead point. Cases of heterotopic pancreas are most often described in the upper intestinal tract, particularly the stomach.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present the case of a five-month-old boy of Caucasian ethnicity suffering acute abdominal pain and vomiting with an abdominal mass in the upper right quadrant. Work-up including ultrasound scan confirmed the intussusception. Repeated attempts at radiological reduction and two laparoscopic procedures were performed within 24 hours, which eventually led to the diagnosis of a triple intussusception.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To our knowledge, such a case of triple intussusception involving isolated heterotopic pancreatic tissue is previously unreported.</p

A novel expression system for production of soluble prion proteins in E. coli

Expression of eukaryotic proteins in Escherichia coli is challenging, especially when they contain disulfide bonds. Since the discovery of the prion protein (PrP) and its role in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, the need to obtain large quantities of the recombinant protein for research purposes has been essential. Currently, production of recombinant PrP is achieved by refolding protocols. Here, we show that the co-expression of two different PrP with the human Quiescin Sulfhydryl OXidase (QSOX), a human chaperone with thiol/disulfide oxidase activity, in the cytoplasm of E. coli produces soluble recombinant PrP. The structural integrity of the soluble PrP has been confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, demonstrating that properly folded PrP can be easily expressed in bacteria. Furthermore, the soluble recombinant PrP produced with this method can be used for functional and structural studies