Epididymitis in children and adolescents. A 20-year retrospective study

We identified 35 patients who had epididymitis from 1965 to 1984 by hospital chart review. The common clinical presentation was swelling, pain, and erythema. Twenty-two patients had onset of symptoms within 24 hours of hospital admission. Surgery was performed in 31 patients, 22 of whom had cultures taken from the epididymis at the time of surgery. Bacterial agents were recovered from cultures of 13 patients: coagulase-negative staphylococci were identified in nine patients. In two patients, a polymicrobic cause was found. Six patients had associated urologic abnormality. Three patients had concurrent urinary tract infection. Urologic investigation should be undertaken in children younger than 2 years old and in older patients with recurrent episodes suspected to be due to reflux of urine and associated genitourinary abnormality.     

Ion channel activity of HIV-1 Vpu is dispensable for counteraction of CD317

While the C-terminal domain of HIV-1 Vpu is critical for CD4 degradation, the transmembrane domain (TM) mediates ion channel activity, enhances virus release and is essential for counteracting CD317/Bst-2/Tetherin. Here we analyzed whether the ion channel activity of Vpu is required to antagonize CD317-mediated restriction of virion release. We examined TM-mutants of three conserved residues: the S23A mutation, which was previously shown to abrogate ion channel function, did not affect Vpu mediated augmentation of virus release. In contrast, the A14N and A18N mutation did not affect ion channel activity of Vpu, but substantially reduced its ability to support virus release and to down-regulate CD317 from the cell surface. Altogether, our data suggest that not the ion channel activity of Vpu, but its ability to remove CD317 from the cell surface is required to augment HIV-1 release.     

Untersuchungen zu Modifikationen von Polyamid-6 und Polyamid-4 mit eingelagerten Alkalihalogeniden

Polyamide-6 (PA-6) and polyamide-4 (PA-4) doped with alkali halides were investigated by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, infrared and far infrared spectroscopy at various temperatures (10 K – 300 K). The solubility of the alkali halides in PA-4 is better than in PA-6. Small ions are molecularly dispersed in PA-6 and PA-4. Alkali ions are coordinated to the oxygen, halide ions to the nitrogen of the amide group. The degree of crystallinity of the polyamides depends on the concentration of the alkali halides and the ion radii. Alkali halides stabilize modifications of the polyamides with not fully extended chains. In polyamides crystallized from the melt some alkali halides stabilized the γ-modification or similar structures. The modification is nearly independent of the alkali halide concentration and will not be destroyed by washing out the alkali halides. If the polyamides are crystallized from formic acid, alkali halides promote a pleated sheet structure with antiparallel chains. The factor group of the layer is D₂, indicated by a low temperature splitting of the B₂ vibration modes.     

Long-term results of 10 conjoined twin separations

Background/Purpose

From 1978 to 2000, 10 pairs of conjoined twins were successfully separated with 14 surviving twins. Six were separated emergently because of the death or impending death of their respective twins. All of the remaining 4 sets required at least one emergency operation on at least one twin before subsequent separations.

Methods

A 6-item questionnaire was developed to interview this unique cohort. The question design was open ended to maximize opportunity for patient/family response. Families were administered the same questionnaire in face-to-face interviews. The physician-author asked questions related to physical health and disability, whereas the social worker-author asked questions related to developmental, educational, psychosocial, and family functioning.

Results

The first 4 surviving twins have graduated from college. The 1981 twin completed high school. The remaining 9 twins are in classes appropriate for their age. All 14 twins have required operations subsequent to initial discharge, particularly to correct urological, orthopedic, neurosurgical, as well as pediatric surgical problems.

Conclusions

In utero diagnosis of conjoined twins by ultrasonography compels physicians and parents early in the pregnancy to make decisions concerning possible surgical separation and the alternative of pregnancy termination. The case reports presented offer additional information for physicians and parents to make informed decisions at a crucial time by illustrating long-term physical and psychological outcomes of 14 surgical survivors.     

Atypical mycobacterial infection of intraparotid lymph nodes Clinical and sialographic observations

Four children are reported with a chronic caseating granulomatous infection of the intraparotid lymph nodes most likely due to atypical mycobacteria. The sialogram showed one or more masses within the parotid gland.     

Perinuclear localization of the HIV-1 regulatory protein Vpr is important for induction of G2-arrest

The HIV-1 accessory protein Vpr induces G2 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Previous studies indicate that the induction of G2-arrest requires the localization of Vpr to the nuclear envelope. Here we show that treatment of Vpr-expressing HeLa cells with the caspase 3 inhibitor Z-DEVD-fmk induced accumulation of Vpr at the nuclear lamina, while other proteins or structures of the nuclear envelope were not influenced. Furthermore, Z-DEVD-fmk enhances the Vpr-mediated G2-arrest that even occurred in HIV-1_NL4-3-infected T-cells. Mutation of Pro-35, which is important for the integrity of helix-α1 in Vpr, completely abrogated the Z-DEVD-fmk-mediated accumulation of Vpr at the nuclear lamina and the enhancement of G2-arrest. As expected, inhibition of caspase 3 reduced the induction of apoptosis by Vpr. Taken together, we could show that besides its role in Vpr-mediated apoptosis induction caspase 3 influences the localization of Vpr at the nuclear envelope and thereby augments the Vpr-induced G2-arrest.