Histology of port wine stains after copper vapour laser treatment

We report histological changes in four patients with port wine stains treated with 578 nm yellow light from a high power copper vapour laser. Histology showed that selective damage occurred to the ectatic blood-vessels in the dermis, without haemorrhage and damage to non-vascular structures, and without scarring. The initial damage to the overlying epidermis was not permanent, and the damaged ectatic vessels returned to normal size or were completely necrosed and replaced by collagen.     

Chemical shift differences between free and Fab-bound peptide correlate with a two-stage selection of peptide sequences from a random phage display library to delineate critical and non-critical residues for antibody recognition

Epitope libraries provide a method to identify peptide ligands for antibodies, receptors or other binding proteins. As such, they provide a powerful tool to rapidly identify lead ligands in the drug discovery process. In an attempt to correlate structural information with the results from peptide screening, we have used NMR spectroscopy of peptide/antibody complexes to demonstrate that core residues identified through a two-stage selection process undergo a larger structural change upon binding antibody than do positions in the peptide amenable to a variety of side chains. The model system used was the M2 monoclonal antibody/Flag? octapeptide epitope system. We have analyzed two peptides: Ac-Asp-Tyr-Lys-Leu-Gly-Asp-Asp-Leu-NH₂ (peptide l), which contains several non-core positions randomized, and Ac-Asp-Tyr-Lys-Asp-Asp-Asp-Asp-Leu-NH₂ (peptide 2), which closely corresponds to the original Flag? sequence. Enrichment of the peptides with ¹⁵N facilitated the investigation by permitting spectral editing of the peptide resonances in the presence of antibody. For peptide 1 the absolute shifts for the free vs. Fab-bound peptide were found to be largest for the amide groups of Asp-1 and Asp-6, in agreement with classification of these residues as critical by the phage display library selection process. For peptide 2 the largest absolute shifts were observed for Asp-1 and Asp-4, with the other aspartic acid residues also showing significant but smaller changes. © Munksgaard 1995.     

Four unusual cases of Spinal Cord Compression

Four cases of spinal cord compression are presented, the causes being tuberculoma, haemangioma, gouty tophus and exophytic glioma; the first three being extradural, extraosseous in location. A short discussion follows. These cases are presented to remind the reader to keep less common causes in mind when dealing with a case of spinal cord compression.     

Review article: controversy in the therapy of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease—long-term proton pump inhibition or laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery?

The treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease is controversial. Whilst medical treatment is successful in patients with mild to moderate disease, the threshold of severity above which an operation should be contemplated remains a matter for debate. Laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery may be lowering this threshold, as this form of therapy provides several advantages over its open counterpart, but it is not without risk, and few long-term results are available. This article reviews treatment options for reflux disease and examines the relative position of current medical and surgical therapies.     

A Comparison Between M.R.I. and C.T. in Acute Spinal Trauma

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) at 0.3T and Computed Tomography (CT) were compared in the retrospective evaluation of 34 patients with acute spinal cord injury. MRI was highly accurate in the imaging of vertebral body fracture, and spondylitk changes, and is the method of choice for imaging ligament injury, traumatic disc protrusion and spinal cord compression. It was also useful for the identification of subtle subluxations in the sagittal plane. CT remains the method of choice for imaging neural arch fractures. MRI at 0.3T is a valid technique for assessing patients with acute spinal trauma.