Anterior cervical epidural abscess: the use of intraoperative spinal sonography

A case of acute cervical epidural abscess is presented. The use of intraoperative spinal sonography is discussed as a valuable adjunct in the evaluation and treatment of these uncommon lesions.     

Gastrointestinal failure in intensive care: a retrospective clinical study in three different intensive care units in Germany and Estonia

Background  

While gastrointestinal problems are common in ICU patients with multiple organ failure, gastrointestinal failure has not been given the consideration other organ systems receive. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of gastrointestinal failure (GIF), to identify its risk factors, and to determine its association with ICU mortality.     

Unilateral neglect: further validation of the baking tray task.

OBJECTIVE: The Baking Tray Task is a comprehensible, simple-to-perform test for use in assessing unilateral neglect. The aim of this study was to validate further its use with stroke patients. METHODS: The Baking Tray Task was compared with 2 versions of the Behaviour Inattention Test and a test for personal neglect. A total of 270 patients were subjected to a 3-item version of the Behaviour Inattention Test and 40 patients were subjected to an 8-item version of the Behaviour Inattention Test, besides the Baking Tray Task and the personal neglect test. RESULTS: The Baking Tray Task was more sensitive than the 3-item Behaviour Inattention Test, but the 8-item Behaviour Inattention Test was more sensitive than the Baking Tray Task. The best combination of any 3 tests was Baking Tray Task, Reading an article, and Figure copying; the 2 last-mentioned being a part of the 8-item Behaviour Inattention Test. CONCLUSION: Multi-item tests detect more cases of neglect than do single tests. However, it is tiresome for the patient to undergo a larger test battery than necessary. It is also time-consuming for the staff. Behavioural tests seem more appropriate when assessing neglect. The Baking Tray Task seems to be one of the most sensitive single tests, but its sensitivity can be further enhanced when it is used in combination with other tests.     

An azurocidin-like protein is induced in Trichoplusia ni larval gut cells after bacterial challenge

Trichoplusia ni immune genes up-regulated in response to bacterial infection have been isolated using differential display polymerase chain reaction. Here we report the cloning and characterisation of a gut-specific immune gene encoding an azurocidin-like protein. The deduced protein is 317 amino acid residues long with a hydrophobic C-terminus and a predicted 17-residue signal peptide. The mature T. ni protein shows 30% identity to human azurocidin, an antibacterial protein. Like azurocidin, the T. ni protein contains two amino acid substitutions in the active site triad normally present in serine proteases. The T. ni protein was synthesised with a six-histidine C-terminal extension using the baculovirus expression system. Sequencing of the recombinant azurocidin-like protein confirmed the predicted cleavage of the signal peptide. Northern blots show that T. ni azurocidin-like protein is expressed solely in the larval gut and that expression is up-regulated by injecting or feeding bacteria. Expression reaches its highest level at 10 h after bacteria injection.     

Quantitative detection of respiratory Chlamydia pneumoniae infection by real-time PCR

Real-time PCR was evaluated as a quantitative diagnostic method for Chlamydia pneumoniae infection using different respiratory samples. Real-time PCR had efficiency equal to or better than that of nested touchdown PCR. This study confirmed sputum as the best sampling material to detect an ongoing C. pneumoniae infection.     

Vilse, a conserved Rac/Cdc42 GAP mediating Robo repulsion in tracheal cells and axons

Slit proteins steer the migration of many cell types through their binding to Robo receptors, but how Robo controls cell motility is not clear. We describe the functional analysis of vilse, a Drosophila gene required for Robo repulsion in epithelial cells and axons. Vilse defines a conserved family of RhoGAPs (Rho GTPase-activating proteins), with representatives in flies and vertebrates. The phenotypes of vilse mutants resemble the tracheal and axonal phenotypes of Slit and Robo mutants at the CNS midline. Dosage-sensitive genetic interactions between vilse, slit, and robo mutants suggest that vilse is a component of robo signaling. Moreover, overexpression of Vilse in the trachea of robo mutants ameliorates the phenotypes of robo, indicating that Vilse acts downstream of Robo to mediate midline repulsion. Vilse and its human homolog bind directly to the intracellular domains of the corresponding Robo receptors and promote the hydrolysis of RacGTP and, less efficiently, of Cdc42GTP. These results together with genetic interaction experiments with robo, vilse, and rac mutants suggest a mechanism whereby Robo repulsion is mediated by the localized inactivation of Rac through Vilse.