Atypical periosteal osteoid osteoma: a case report

Osteoid osteoma is a benign osteoblastic tumor usually seen in adolescent and young males. In the paediatric age group, since the history may be difficult to elicit, there are often problems in early diagnosis. The author reports an unusual presentation of osteoid osteoma in a ten-year-old girl, which could not be diagnosed by conventional X-rays and CT scan

Translation and validation of the Dutch version of the Effective Consumer Scale (EC-17)

PURPOSE: The Effective Consumer Scale (EC-17) measures the skills of musculoskeletal patients in managing their own healthcare. The objectives of this study were to translate the EC-17 into Dutch and to further evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: The EC-17 was translated and cognitively pretested following cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. Two hundred and thirty-eight outpatients (52 % response rate) with osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia completed the EC-17 along with other validated measures. Three weeks later, 101 patients completed the EC-17 again. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensional structure of the scale. The items adequately fit the Rasch model and only one item demonstrated differential item functioning. Person reliability was high (0.92), but item difficulty levels tended to cluster around the middle of the scale, and measurement precision was highest for moderate and lower levels of skills. The scale demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.71), and correlations with other measures were largely as expected. CONCLUSION: The results supported the validity and reliability of the Dutch version of the EC-17, but suggest that the scale is best targeted at patients with relatively low levels of skills. Future studies should further examine its sensitivity to change in a clinical trial specifically aimed at improving effective consumer skills

YidC and SecY mediate membrane insertion of a type I transmembrane domain

YidC has been identified recently as an evolutionary conserved factor that is involved in the integration of inner membrane proteins (IMPs) in Escherichia coli. The discovery of YidC has inspired the reevaluation of membrane protein assembly pathways in E. coli. In this study, we have analyzed the role of YidC in membrane integration of a widely used model IMP, leader peptidase (Lep). Site-directed photocross-linking experiments demonstrate that both YidC and SecY contact nascent Lep very early during biogenesis, at only 50-amino acid nascent chain length. At this length the first transmembrane domain (TM), which acquires a type I topology, is not even fully exposed outside the ribosome. The pattern of interactions appears dependent on the position of the cross-linking probe in the nascent chain. Upon elongation, nascent Lep remains close to YidC and comes into contact with lipids as well. Our results suggest a role for YidC in both the reception and lipid partitioning of type I TMs