DETORQUEO, QUIRKY, and ZERZAUST Represent Novel Components Involved in Organ Development Mediated by the Receptor-Like Kinase STRUBBELIG in Arabidopsis thaliana

Intercellular signaling plays an important role in controlling cellular behavior in apical meristems and developing organs in plants. One prominent example in Arabidopsis is the regulation of floral organ shape, ovule integument morphogenesis, the cell division plane, and root hair patterning by the leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase STRUBBELIG (SUB). Interestingly, kinase activity of SUB is not essential for its in vivo function, indicating that SUB may be an atypical or inactive receptor-like kinase. Since little is known about signaling by atypical receptor-like kinases, we used forward genetics to identify genes that potentially function in SUB-dependent processes and found recessive mutations in three genes that result in a sub-like phenotype. Plants with a defect in DETORQEO (DOQ), QUIRKY (QKY), and ZERZAUST (ZET) show corresponding defects in outer integument development, floral organ shape, and stem twisting. The mutants also show sub-like cellular defects in the floral meristem and in root hair patterning. Thus, SUB, DOQ, QKY, and ZET define the STRUBBELIG-LIKE MUTANT (SLM) class of genes. Molecular cloning of QKY identified a putative transmembrane protein carrying four C2 domains, suggesting that QKY may function in membrane trafficking in a Ca2+-dependent fashion. Morphological analysis of single and all pair-wise double-mutant combinations indicated that SLM genes have overlapping, but also distinct, functions in plant organogenesis. This notion was supported by a systematic comparison of whole-genome transcript profiles during floral development, which molecularly defined common and distinct sets of affected processes in slm mutants. Further analysis indicated that many SLM-responsive genes have functions in cell wall biology, hormone signaling, and various stress responses. Taken together, our data suggest that DOQ, QKY, and ZET contribute to SUB-dependent organogenesis and shed light on the mechanisms, which are dependent on signaling through the atypical receptor-like kinase SUB

Cerebral venous thrombosis in adults: A study of 50 cases from Iran

The study was conducted to determine the clinical pattern and etiology of cerebral venous thrombosis in Iran. Records of all adult patients admitted with a clinical diagnosis and MRI of cerebral venous thrombosis from 1993 through 1999 in three major hospitals of Tehran, Iran were reviewed. Fifty patients (39 women, 11 men) aged 14 to 56 years were identified. Headache the most frequent and often the earliest symptom, was encountered in 82 percent and papilledema, the most frequent sign in 56 percent of cases. Infection was the cause of cerebral venous thrombosis in 26 percent of our cases. Other causes included oral contraceptive (32 percent), vasculitis (6 percent), Behcet's disease (4 percent), postpartum state (4 percent), myeloproliferative disease (2 percent), ulcerative colitis (2 percent), antithrombin III deficiency (2 percent) and diabetic ketoacidosis (2 percent). Oral contraceptive was recognized as the most common etiology. Infection is an important cause whereas procoagulation disorders are uncommon

Determining the specific activity of thymidine phosphorylase in leukocytes of patients with MNGIE and the plasma thymidine level by RP-HPLC

"nBackground: Thymidine phosphorylase (TP) catalyses the conversion of thymidine into thymine. Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is an autosomal recessive disease which is caused by mutations in the nuclear gene encoding TP, bringing about severe impairment of TP-enzyme specific activity and accumulation of thymidine in plasma. The clinical manifestations of MNGIE are recognizable and homogenous, but not in the early stages of the disease. In patients who are suspected of having MNGIE, determination of TP-specific activity in leukocytes and thymidine levels in plasma are diagnostic. The methods that are usually used for the measurement of TP activity and plasma thymidine are not rapid or accurate enough and lack sensitivity."n "nMethods: The specific activity of TP was measured by RP-HPLC in leukocytes of both the controls and the patients exhibiting clinical features suggestive of MNGIE. Moreover, plasma thymidine was assessed by the same method."n "nResults: The patients had detectable plasma thymidine (>3 µmol/L) but it was undetectable in the healthy controls. The patients' TP-specific activity decreased to less than 5% relative to the controls (14±4 nmol/h/mg vs. 525±165 nmol/h/mg, P<0.05). A diagnostic algorithm for the definitive diagnosis of MNGIE is suggestible based on the results of this study which relies on the measurement of plasma thymidine, TP-specific activity in leukocytes, or both."n "nConclusion: In this study, we set up a sensitive and rapid assay for the evaluation of TP-specific activity by using RP-HPLC in Iran. In addition, we established reference values for TP-specific activity and plasma thymidine in the Iranian patients

Effect of Epidural Analgesia on Blood Epinephrine Concentration and Duration of First Stage of Labor

Background: One of the most painful situations that a woman may experience is labor. On the other hand, except for some indicated cases, cesarean has been proved to be dangerous for mother. The pain of uterus contractions can be diminished by epidural analgesia. Maternal Catecholamine increases during labor and epidural anesthesia reduces Epinephrine level and increases uterine blood flow . The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of epidural analgesia on Epinephrine concentration and duration of first stage of labor. Materials and Methods: Using clinical trial method, we considered 100 healthy parturient primigravid with single fetus and ≥ 4 cm cervix dilatation without major medical complication for epidural anesthesia with 10 ml Lidocaine 5% (50 patients) or 50 mg IV Mepridin (50 patients). Then venous blood samples (5 cc) were obtained from all patients at the end of first stage of labor. All samples were analyzed by a Radio enzymatic assay for Epinephrine level. T test, colmograph and smirnof tests were used for data analysis. Results: Plasma epinephrine levels in Mepridin and epidural groups were 95.9±22.2 and 41.4±15.4 pg/ml respectively (P<0.0001), showing decreased in epidural group. Duration of first stage of labor (active phase) in Mepridin and epidural groups were 166.6±25.1 min and 153.8±26 min respectively. Duration of first stage (active phase) was shorter in Epidural group (P<0.02). Conclusion: Lumbar epidural anesthesia during labor Reduces maternal Epinephrine level and duration of first stage of labor (active phase.) Epidural anesthesia is an effective method of analgesia in labor

The Effects of Drug Complexation on the Stability and Conformation of Human Serum Albumin: Protein Unfolding

We report different analytical methods used to study the effects of 3\u27-azido-3\u27-deoxythymidine, aspirin, taxol, cisplatin, atrazine, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic, biogenic, polyamines, chlorophyll, chlorophyllin, poly(ethylene glycol), vanadyl cation, vanadate anion, cobalt-hexamine cation, and As2O3, on the stability and secondary structure of human serum albumin (HSA) in aqueous solution, using capillary electrophoresis. Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet visible, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic methods. The concentrations of HSA used were 4% to 2% or 0.6 to 0.3 mM, while different ligand concentrations were 1μM to 1 mM. Structural data showed drugs are mostly located along the polypeptide chains with both specific and nonspecific interactions. The stability of drug-protein complexes were in the order KVO 2+ 1.2×108 M -1\u3eKAZT 1.9×106 M -1\u3eKPEG 4.1×105 M -1\u3eKatrazine 3.5×104 M -1\u3eKchlorophyll 2.9×104 M -1\u3eK 2,4-D2.5×104 M-1\u3eKspermine 1.7×104 M -1\u3eKtaxol 1.43×104 M -1\u3eKCo3+\u3e1.1×104 M -1\u3eKaspirin 1.04×104i-1\u3eKchlorophyllin 7.0×103 M -1×KVO3 -6.0×103 M -1\u3eKspermidine 5.4 ×103 M -1\u3eKputrescine 3.9×103 M -1\u3eKAs2O3, 2.2×103 M -1\u3eKcisplatin 1.2×102 M -1. The protein conformation was altered (infrared and CD results) with major reduction of α-helix from 60 to 55% (free HSA) to 40 to 40% and increase of β-structure from 22 to 15% (free HSA) to 33 to 23% in the drug-protein complexes. The alterations of protein secondary, structure are attributed to partial, unfolding of HSA on drug complexation