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Glutaric Aciduria type I (GA1) is a rare neurometabolic disorder caused by mutations in the GDCHgene encoding for glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) in the catabolic pathway of lysine, hydroxylysine and tryptophan. GCDH deficiency leads to increased concentrations of glutaric acid (GA) and 3-hydroxyglutaric acid (3-OHGA) in body fluids and tissues. These metabolites are the main triggers of brain damage. Mechanistic studies supporting neurotoxicity in mouse models have been conducted. However, the different vulnerability to some stressors between mouse and human brain cells reveals the need to have a reliable human neuronal model to study GA1 pathogenesis. In the present work we generated a GCDHknockout (KO) in the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y by CRISPR/Cas9 technology. SH-SY5Y-GCDHKO cells accumulate GA, 3-OHGA, and glutarylcarnitine when exposed to lysine overload. GA or lysine treatment triggered neuronal damage in GCDH deficient cells. SH-SY5Y-GCDHKO cells also displayed features of GA1 pathogenesis such as increased oxidative stress vulnerability. Restoration of the GCDH activity by gene replacement rescued neuronal alterations. Thus, our findings provide a human neuronal cellular model of GA1 to study this disease and show the potential of gene therapy to rescue GCDH deficiency.

Intake of stable iodine intake is considered as an effective countermeasure for reducing the risk of thyroid cancer in an eventual release of radioactive iodine following nuclear accident. However, there are a number of value and social uncertainties that are likely to impact on accident management. These include differences in public response as well as decisions made by emergency management actors during an actual incident. In order to explore these sources of uncertainty, this paper explored social uncertainties related to the potential administration of stable iodine. First, public understanding and compliance with the advice of authorities was studied by surveys, showing that less than half of the public knew when iodine tablets should be taken, or understood their protective role. There were also country specific differences in the level of expected compliance with authorities’ advice. Second, social uncertainties were identified through observations of emergency exercises; these were revealed to be mainly related to timing, public response, communication, effectiveness, cross-border issues and first responders. Third, studies on factors influencing communication about stable iodine were carried out and showed that public understanding and compliance with advice could be improved by communicating numerical and narrative information. Overall, the results indicate that enhanced focus on social uncertainties during the preparedness phase may improve the effectiveness of stable iodine administration in case of an emergency.

El linfoma anaplásico de células grandes asociado a implantes mamarios (BIA-ALCL según sus siglas en inglés) es un tipo raro de linfoma no Hodgkin que se ha descrito en el contexto de la cirugía reconstructiva y estética de mama mediante implantes. Este segundo artículo presenta la parte del consenso de la Sociedad Española de Senología y Patología Mamaria (SESPM) sobre el tratamiento quirúrgico, médico, radioterápico, pronóstico y seguimiento.

El linfoma anaplásico de células grandes asociado a implantes mamarios (BIA-ALCL según sus siglas en inglés) es un tipo raro de linfoma no Hodgkin que se ha descrito en el contexto de la cirugía reconstructiva y estética de mama mediante implantes. Estos artículos presentan un consenso de la Sociedad Española de Senología y Patología Mamaria (SESPM) con la idea de unificar, en esta primera parte, los criterios de diagnóstico de esta enfermedad describiendo asimismo la epidemiología y la etiopatogenia.

Recommendations and requirements for the management of foodstuffs including drinking water and feedstuffs (but not other commodities) contaminated after a nuclear accident or a radiological event have been developed by international bodies such as Codex Alimentarius Commission or European Union as well as by individual countries. However, the experience from severe nuclear accidents (Chernobyl, Fukushima) and less serious radiological events, shows that the implementation of such systems (based on criteria expressed in activity concentration) seems to be not fully suitable to prevent several difficulties such as, for instance, stigmatization and even rejection attitudes from consumers or retailers (anticipating the fears of consumers). To further investigate the possible strategies and stakeholder expectations to deal with this sensitive issue, a study has been launched within the European research project PREPARE-WP3. The overall objective of this work, coordinated is to contribute to the development of strategies, guidance and tools for the management of the contaminated products, taking into account the views of producers, processing and retail industries and consumers. For this purpose, 10 stakeholder panels from different European countries have been set up. In addition, feedback experience from the management of contaminated goods following the Fukushima accident has been provided by Japanese stakeholders. This paper highlights the key topics tackled by the different European stakeholders’ panels.

The European project PREPARE (Innovative integrated tools and platforms for radiological emergency preparedness and post-accident response in Europe) aims at closing gaps that have been identified in nuclear and radiological preparedness following the first evaluation of the Fukushima disaster. It started February 2013 and ended January 2016. Fourty-six partners from Europe and Japan, among them universities, national research centres, operational emergency management centres and non-governmental organisations, performed research to close gaps identified following the Fukushima disaster. Among others, the project addressed the review of existing operational procedures for dealing with long lasting releases, cross border problems in radiation monitoring and food safety and further development of missing functionalities in decision support systems ranging from improved source term estimation and dispersion modelling to the inclusion of hydrological pathways for European water bodies. In addition, a so called Analytical Platform was developed exploring the scientific and operational means to improve information collection, information exchange and the evaluation of such types of disasters. The tools developed within the project will be integrated into the two decision support systems ARGOS and RODOS.

A table-top exercise on ‘Monitoring a large-scale cross-border contamination in the aftermath of a nuclear accident’ was organized within the FP7-project PREPARE with the focus on the long-term emergency monitoring including transboundary and transnational aspects. From the detailed and content-rich answers from all participants of the table-top exercise, it can be concluded that competent persons with a lot of practical experience in the field were present to play the exercise. Answers were very useful because they were based on the experience from the real situation (e.g. Fukushima accident). It seems that the sampling procedures and measurement strategies are well defined. It was found out that all available communication channels can be established among the crisis centre, teams on the field and other institutions and/or teams involved (e.g. fire brigades, police, army fixed laboratories). From the answers, it comes out that some activities in the emergency are not completely harmonized transnationally, especially dispersion modelling, exchange of data, etc. The majority of the teams claimed that RODOS platform can be applied as the primary tool, but also other dispersion models, in-country developed, would be used in the nuclear emergency. From the answers, it stems out that numbering of specialized teams on the ground and the measurement capacities either in mobile laboratories or fixed laboratories should be concerned in small countries with nuclear installations, and even more pronounced in countries without Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) on their territories.

Education and training remains an essential factor ensuring the creation and maintenance of critical capacities in the field of emergency preparedness, response and recovery. Within the FP7 PREPARE project, several training activities were organised: (i) basic courses for key players, addressing the early and intermediate phases of emergency preparedness and response as well as the long-term management of contaminated territories; and (ii) course on scientific methods and tools for information collection and exchange, namely the PREPARE analytical platform.

Les analyses par diffraction X des surfaces de pâtes de ciment soumises à une attaque sulfatique permettent d'identifier et de positionner les différentes phases minérales rencontrées sur l'épaisseur de l'altération. Les résultats ainsi obtenus confirment la formation d'un mince front d'ettringite entre le gypse et la partie non altérée du ciment hydraté. Cette succession de phases cristallines induites en surface par l'attaque sulfatique permet de comprendre la cinétique du phénomène en corrélation avec la basicité du milieu. Il est à noter par ailleurs la faible épaisseur associée à ce phénomène. La couche de phases néoformées constitue donc une barrière "protectrice" à l'avancement de la dégradation. En conséquence, l'étendue de la dégradation est conditionnée par à l'état de surface du support. Elle sera favorisée par une micro porosité ou une micro fissuration.

Atherosclerosis in symptomatic peripheral arterial disease affects wide portions of numerous arteries in lower extremities. The resulting active inflammation in a considerable amount of arterial tissue facilitates systemic detection via measurement of inflammation-related variables. We reasoned that the combined assessment of defense against oxidative stress, in the form of paraoxonase-1 (PON1), and monocyte migration measured as circulating (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), may play a role in the evaluation of these patients. Plasma CCL2 and serum PON1-related variables, assessed by their interaction with functional genetic variants, were measured in a cross-sectional study in patients with symptomatic PAD. We found that PON1 activity and concentration were significantly lower and CCL2 concentration higher in PAD patients compared to controls, that the combination of plasma CCL2 and PON1- related values, especially PON1 concentration differentiated, almost perfectly, controls from patients and that the expression of CCL2 and PON1 generally co-localized in the atherosclerotic lesion. Since no association with genetic variants was found, such a relationship is probably the result of the disease. Our data suggest a coordinated role between CCL2 and PON1 that may be detected in blood with simple measurements and may represent an indicator of the extent of atherosclerosis.

Generic guidance on the withdrawal of sheltering, withdrawal of evacuation and evacuation of sheltered populations (displacement) has been developed based on previously unpublished work in the UK and France and on input from stakeholder panels in Germany, Belgium, France and the UK. The guidance is a living document that can be developed further in the future, both in its generic form and also as customised versions in some Member States. The guidance outlines the many factors which influence the withdrawal of emergency countermeasures: official confirmation that any release has stopped; adequacy of monitoring data; radiological criteria; radiological protection advice; availability of resources; social and psychological needs; stakeholder dialogue; and communication strategy. The relative importance placed by decision makers on each of these criteria would vary according to the nature and scale of the accident and also on socio-political, economic and cultural perspectives. In the event of a radiological incident, decision makers will need to be in a position to construct a strategy for managing the withdrawal of emergency countermeasures. For larger scale, longer duration releases involving several nuclides, a management strategy is likely to be complex. The guidance therefore includes a series of checklists which have been developed in conjunction with stakeholders to take into account the main criteria and factors which should be considered.

Three handbooks have been developed, in conjunction with a wide range of stakeholders to assist in the management of contaminated food production systems, inhabited areas and drinking water following a radiological incident. The handbooks are aimed at national and local authorities, central government departments and agencies, emergency services, radiation protection experts, the agriculture and food production sectors, industry and others who may be affected. The handbooks include management options for application in the different phases of an incident. Sources of contamination considered in the handbooks include nuclear accidents and radiological dispersion devices; the most relevant radionuclides are included. The handbooks are divided into several sections which provide supporting scientific and technical information; an analysis of the factors influencing recovery; compendia of comprehensive, state-of-the-art datasheets for around 100 management options and guidance on planning in advance. A decision-aiding framework comprising colour coded selection tables, look-up tables and decision trees and several worked examples are also included. The handbooks can be used as a preparatory tool, under non-crisis conditions, to engage stakeholders and to develop local and regional plans. The handbooks can also be applied as part of the decision-aiding process to develop a recovery strategy following an incident. In addition, the handbooks are useful for training purposes and during emergency exercises. To realise their full potential, the handbooks should be customised at national, regional and local levels.

Three handbooks have been developed, in conjunction with a wide range of stakeholders to assist in the management of contaminated food production systems, inhabited areas and drinking water following a radiological incident. The handbooks are aimed at national and local authorities, central government departments and agencies, emergency services, radiation protection experts, the agriculture and food production sectors, industry and others who may be affected. The handbooks include management options for application in the different phases of an incident. Sources of contamination considered in the handbooks include nuclear accidents and radiological dispersion devices; the most relevant radionuclides are included. The handbooks are divided into several sections which provide supporting scientific and technical information; an analysis of the factors influencing recovery; compendia of comprehensive, state-of-the-art datasheets for around 100 management options and guidance on planning in advance. A decision-aiding framework comprising colour coded selection tables, look-up tables and decision trees and several worked examples are also included. The handbooks can be used as a preparatory tool, under non-crisis conditions, to engage stakeholders and to develop local and regional plans. The handbooks can also be applied as part of the decision-aiding process to develop a recovery strategy following an incident. In addition, the handbooks are useful for training purposes and during emergency exercises. To realise their full potential, the handbooks should be customised at national, regional and local levels.

Generic guidance on the withdrawal of sheltering, withdrawal of evacuation and evacuation of sheltered populations (displacement) has been developed based on previously unpublished work in the UK and France and on input from stakeholder panels in Germany, Belgium, France and the UK. The guidance is a living document that can be developed further in the future, both in its generic form and also as customised versions in some Member States. The guidance outlines the many factors which influence the withdrawal of emergency countermeasures: official confirmation that any release has stopped; adequacy of monitoring data; radiological criteria; radiological protection advice; availability of resources; social and psychological needs; stakeholder dialogue; and communication strategy. The relative importance placed by decision makers on each of these criteria would vary according to the nature and scale of the accident and also on socio-political, economic and cultural perspectives. In the event of a radiological incident, decision makers will need to be in a position to construct a strategy for managing the withdrawal of emergency countermeasures. For larger scale, longer duration releases involving several nuclides, a management strategy is likely to be complex. The guidance therefore includes a series of checklists which have been developed in conjunction with stakeholders to take into account the main criteria and factors which should be considered.

Abstract:: A high-precision measurement of the 14O half-life has been performed using a mass-separated radioactive beam in combination with a germanium detector set-up. This is the first 14O half-life measurement with a contamination-free source. The final result of 70.560 � 0.049 seconds is in agreement with the generally adopted mean value.

The aim of this study was firstly to determine and compare the ability of inexperienced junior dental students (Fourth‐year) and senior students (Fifth‐year) versus a dental school instructor to identify demineralized dentine with the aid of a caries‐disclosing solution and secondly to evaluate an eventual improvement of the caries diagnosis accuracy of junior (Fourth‐year) and senior (Fifth‐year) dental students. Three successive stages were used to check the ability of the dental students to diagnose and excavate the de‐mineralized dentine. This study pointed out that 96% of junior dental students versus a teacher failed to remove all of the demineralized dentine without the use of a caries detector at the first stage and 79% at the second stage in the same condition. 100% of senior students versus a teacher, also failed to diagnose dental caries without a caries detector, but only at the first stage. However, at the second stage, unlike the junior students, all of the senior students were able to remove all of the demineralized dentine. Without the use of a caries detector dye, the risks of the dental students leaving demineralized dentine are high. This technique may be particularly helpful for the fourth‐year students who are performing their first restorative treatment.

In the duodenum, pancreatic lipase (PL) develops its activity on triglycerides by binding to the bile-emulsified oil droplets in the presence of its protein cofactor pancreatic colipase (PC). The neutron crystal structure of a PC-PL-micelle complex (Hermoso, J., Pignol, D., Penel, S., Roth, M., Chapus, C., and Fontecilla-Camps, J. C. (1997) EMBO J. 16, 5531-5536) has suggested that the stabilization of the enzyme in its active conformation and its adsorption to the emulsified oil droplets are mediated by a preformed lipase-colipase-micelle complex. Here, we correlate the ability of different amphypathic compounds to activate PL, with their association with PC-PL in solution. The method of small angle neutron scattering with D(2)O/H(2)O contrast variation was used to characterize a solution containing PC-PL complex and taurodeoxycholate micelles. The resulting radius of gyration (56 A) and the match point of the solution indicate the formation of a ternary complex that is similar to the one observed in the neutron crystal structure. In addition, we show that either bile salts, lysophospholipids, or nonionic detergents that form micelles with radii of gyration ranging from 13 to 26 A are able to bind to the PC-PL complex, whereas smaller micelles or nonmicellar compounds are not. This further supports the notion of a micelle size-dependent affinity process for lipase activation in vivo.

Pancreatic juice is supersaturated with calcium carbonate. Calcite crystals therefore may occur, obstruct pancreatic ducts, and finally cause a lithiasis. Human lithostathine, a protein synthesized by the pancreas, inhibits the growth of calcite crystals by inducing a habit modification: the rhombohedral (10 14) usual habit is transformed into a needle-like habit through the (11 0) crystal form. A similar observation was made with the N-terminal undecapeptide (pE(1)R(11)) of lithostathine. We therefore aimed at discovering how peptides inhibit calcium salt crystal growth. We solved the complete x-ray structure of lithostathine, including the flexible N-terminal domain, at 1.3 A. Docking studies of pE(1)R(11) with the (10 14) and (11 0) faces through molecular dynamics simulation resulted in three successive steps. First, the undecapeptide progressively unfolded as it approached the calcite surface. Second, mobile lateral chains of amino acids made hydrogen bonds with the calcite surface. Last, electrostatic bonds between calcium ions and peptide bonds stabilized and anchored pE(1)R(11) on the crystal surface. pE(1)R(11)-calcite interaction was stronger with the (11 0) face than with the (10 14) face, confirming earlier experimental observations. Energy contributions showed that the peptide backbone governed the binding more than did the lateral chains. The ability of peptides to inhibit crystal growth is therefore essentially based on backbone flexibility.

The structure of the homodimeric 267 kDa pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) of Desulfovibrio africanuswas solved with data from two crystals forms, both containing two monomers per asymmetric unit. Phases were obtained from multiwavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD), solvent flattening (SF), molecular replacement (MR) using a 5 Å resolution electron‐density search model, multiple isomorphous replacement (MIR) and, finally, electron‐density averaging (DA) procedures. It is shown how the combination of all these techniques was used to overcome problems arising from incompleteness of MAD data and weak phasing power of MIR data. A real‐space refinement (RSR) procedure is described to improve MR solutions and obtain very accurate protein envelopes and non‐crystallographic symmetry (NCS) transformations from 5 Å resolution phase information. These were crucial for the phase extension to high resolution by DA methods.

Human lithostathine (HLIT) is a pancreatic glycoprotein which inhibits the growth and nucleation of calcium carbonate crystals. The crystal structure of the monomeric 17 kDa HLIT, determined to a resolution of 1.55 angstroms, was refined to a crystallographic R‐factor of 18.6%. Structural comparison with the carbohydrate‐recognition domains of rat mannose‐binding protein and E‐selectin indicates that the C‐terminal domain of HLIT shares a common architecture with the C‐type lectins. Nevertheless, HLIT does not bind carbohydrate nor does it contain the characteristic calcium‐binding sites of the C‐type lectins. In consequence, HLIT represents the first structurally characterized member of this superfamily which is not a lectin. Analysis of the charge distribution and calculation of its dipole moment reveal that HLIT is a strongly polarized molecule. Eight acidic residues which are separated by regular 6 angstrom spacings form a unique and continuous patch on the molecular surface. This arrangement coincides with the distribution of calcium ions on certain planes of the calcium carbonate crystal; the dipole moment of HLIT may play a role in orienting the protein on the crystal surface prior to the more specific interactions of the acidic residues.

A gamma camera was equipped with a special collimator and arm assembly for bone mineral measurements with dual photon absorptiometry (DPA). The system was evaluated in vitro and in vivo and compared both with a rectilinear DPA and a dual energy X-ray (DEXA) system. All 3 systems showed a linear response in measurements of 4 vials, containing different amounts of hydroxyapatite. Phantom measurements with the gamma camera system showed a precision of 1.6% to 2.8%. Results obtained in 8 healthy volunteers with rectilinear and gamma camera systems were well correlated (R2= 0.78). With the photon beam directed from posterior to anterior, the separation of vertebrae was easy with the gamma camera system. We conclude that bone mineral measurements can be made with a gamma camera for assessment of fracture risk and in the decision process whether a patient needs treatment or not. For follow-up, the precision of DPA with a gamma camera is inadequate.

A gamma camera was equipped with a special collimator and arm assembly for bone mineral measurements with dual photon absorptiometry (DPA). The system was evaluated in vitro and in vivo and compared both with a rectilinear DPA and a dual energy X-ray (DEXA) system. All 3 systems showed a linear response in measurements of 4 vials, containing different amounts of hydroxyapatite. Phantom measurements with the gamma camera system showed a precision of 1.6 to 2.8. Results obtained in 8 healthy volunteers with rectilinear and gamma camera systems were well correlated (R2 0.78). With the photon beam directed from posterior to anterior, the separation of vertebrae was easy with the gamma camera system. We conclude that bone mineral measurements can be made with a gamma camera for assessment of fracture risk and in the decision process whether a patient needs treatment or not. For follow-up, the precision of DPA with a gamma camera is inadequate.

A three-dimensional meteorological model and a Lagrangian particle dispersion model are used to study the effects of a uniform large-scale wind on the dispersion of a non-reactive pollutant in a coastal region with complex terrain. Simulations are carried out both with and without a background wind. A comparison between model results and measured data (wind and pollutant concentrations) indicates that the coupled model system provides a useful mechanism for analyzing pollutant dispersion in coastal regions.

Because of their specific targeting properties, monoclonal antibodies have found widespread use in nuclear medicine. In this paper, a method is described for the evaluation of immunoscintigraphic parameters for the detection of thrombi, using a 99Tcm-labelled antifibrin monoclonal antibody (designated as Y22). An in vitromodel was developed to evaluate the effects of various environmental conditions on uptake by plasma clots of 99Tcm-Tc-Y22 in circulating plasma on a gamma camera. The clots became visible as hotspots after approximately l h of circulation of 99Tcm-Y22 containing citrated plasma at 37° C. Circulation of 99Tcm-fibrinogen, 99Tcm-HSA or 99Tcm-control MoAb did not show visible uptake by the clots under the same conditions. At 37° C, 99Tcm-Y22 accumulated approximately four times faster than at 20° C. Heparin did not affect binding of the antibody to clots. To assess the feasibility of thrombus detection in vivo, an extracorporeal rat thrombus model was used. A thrombus in a shunt between a carotid artery and a jugular vein became visible l h after injection of the labelled Y22 and, more clearly, after 3 h.

The first measurements of the longitudinal polarization of positrons emitted by polarized107In are reported. The positron polarization is deduced from the time-resolved decay spectrum of positronium hyerfine states. Our result is in agreement with the standard electroweak model and provides a new lower limit for the mass of an eventual, predominantly right-handed charged W gauge boson of 220 GeV/c2.

Objectives. This study was conducted to compare microleakage of two new dentin bonding agents on freshly extracted teeth, cryopreserved teeth, or teeth stored in water containing 0.5% chloramine at 4^oC. Methods. Rectangular Class V cavity preparations were made on the buccal and the lingual surface of wisdom teeth. They were filled with either Scotchbond Multi-Purpose and Z100 (3M Dental Products) or with Gluma 2000 and Pekafill (Bayer Dental). After thermocycling, silver staining penetration was evaluated under a light microscope. SEM examination and EDX analysis were performed to evaluate the microleakage pattern. The results were analyzed by the use of a two-way analysis of variance. Results. Cryopreservation for 13 wk or 12 d refrigeration did not produce changes in the amount of microleakage. However, 48 d or longer of refrigeration increased microleakage. There was no correlation between changes in microleakage and storage time. Specimens prepared with both dentin bonding agents exhibited the same microleakage values and the same microleakage pattern. Significance. Refrigeration at 4^oC in 0.5% chloramine for 48 d or longer may cause an increase in microleakage. Cryopreservation for 13 wk or short-term refrigeration did not affect the microleakage.

From a series of technetium-99m labelled agents based on a vicinal diphosphonic acid structure, the ligand 1,2-diphosphonoethyleneglycol (DPEG) was selected for clinical study on the basis of a biodistribution in rats which compared well with that of methylene disphonphonate (MDP). The 99Tcm-DPEG agent was assessed in ten patients in whom bone metastases had been demonstrated by 99Tcm-MDP imaging two to seven days previously. Visual comparison of the skeletal images obtained with the two agents revealed the same number of bone metastases at the same locations.

The first measurements of the longitudinal polarization of positrons emitted by polarized 107In are reported. The positron polarization is deduced from the time-resolved decay spectrum of positronium hyperfine states. Our result is in agreement with the standard electro-weak model and provides a new lower limit for the mass of an eventual, predominantly right-handed charged W-gauge boson of 220 GeV/c2.

Objectives:: To ascertain whether surgery causes ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) related injury, if this injury is augmented by preoperative shock, and reduced with low dose allopurinol. Design:: Randomised blind placebo controlled trial. Setting:: Surgical laboratory. Material and methods:: 22 pigs were randomly allocated to four groups; OP = operation/placebo, OA = operation/allopurinol, SOP = shock + operation/placebo, SOA = shock + operation/allopurinol. An aortic tube prosthesis was inserted in all. In groups SOP and SOA preoperative shock was induced by exsanguination. Allopurinol was administered in group OA on the preoperative day and peroperatively, in group SOA during shock and peroperatively. Chief outcome measures:: Perioperative blood concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), ascorbic acid (AA), albumin, ^9^9^mTc-albumin and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) as indicators of oxidative membrane damage, antioxidant activity, microvascular permeability changes and muscular cell damage respectively. Main results:: In the OP and OA groups TBARS gradually increased, while AA, ^9^9^mTc-albumin and CPK remained unchanged and albumin decreased. No effect of allopurinol was observed in these groups. In the SOP group TBARS and AA were not significantly different from groups OP and OA. Yet, albumin, ^9^9^mTc-albumin and CPK decreased significantly more in the SOP group. Compared with the SOP group, allopurinol treatment (SOA) produced lower TBARS and higher AA levels, and reduced the effect of shock on albumin, ^9^9^mTc-albumin and CPK concentrations. Conclusion:: Aortic surgery causes no I-R related damage. Pre-operative shock produces I-R related damage, which is reduced by allopurinol.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and to compare root canal configuration after preparation with three different hand instruments and techniques: the canal master U preparation technique (Brasseler, Savannah, GA.), using stainless steel or nickel-titanium canal master U instruments, and the step-back technique using precurved conventional stainless steel K-type files. Sixty-three simulated curved canals were divided in three groups of 21 each. Each group was prepared using one of the three instruments. Comparison of root canal configuration was evaluated with pre- and postoperative photographs that measured the difference in canal diameter and the mesial and distal transportation of the canal walls at the canal length and at levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 mm coronal to the canal length. Data obtained were analyzed statistically using an analysis of variance. Instrument breakage was also recorded. Results showed that the final diameter of the prepared canals as well as canal transportation were significantly different between both canal master U instruments and the stainless steek K file. Three stainless steel canal master U instruments separated during instrumentation whereas none in the nickel-titanium canal master U and stainless steel K-type file groups separated. The results of this study show that the canal master U instruments and technique provide a better canal configuration than K files using the step-back technique and that the nickel-titanium canal master U and stainless steel K-type file offers a greater safety factor against breakage than the stainless steel canal master U.

Orthorhombic crystals (space group P212121, a = 45.94 A, b = 40.68 A, c = 29.93 A) of the potent scorpion alpha-toxin II from Androctonus australis Hector were grown using sterile techniques. The structure was solved by a combination of heavy-atom and model phasing. Subsequently, it was refined at 1.8 A resolution by a fast-Fourier restrained least-squares procedure. The crystallographic R factor is 0.152 for data with 7.0 A greater than d greater than 1.8 A and F greater than 2.5 sigma (F) and 0.177 when all data are considered. Eighty-nine solvent molecules have been incorporated into the model. The dense core formed by the alpha-helical and antiparallel beta-sheet moieties and three of the four disulfide bridges is similar in variant 3, a toxin purified from the North American scorpion Centruroides sculpturatus, and in toxin II. However, the two molecules differ markedly in the orientation of loops protruding from the core. Toxin II seems to contain several highly ordered solvent molecules. Eight of them occupy a cavity consisting of the C-terminal region and a loop found only in scorpion alpha-toxins. The highly reactive and pharmacologically important Lys-58 is found at one of the extremes of this cavity, where it establishes a series of hydrogen bonds with protein and solvent atoms. The reactivities of the five lysine residues of toxin II are highly correlated with the formation of hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and salt links.

Human lithostathine (HLIT) is a pancreatic glycoprotein which inhibits the growth and nucleation of calcium carbonate crystals. The crystal structure of the monomeric 17 kDa HLIT, determined to a resolution of 1.55 angstroms, was refined to a crystallographic R‐factor of 18.6%. Structural comparison with the carbohydrate‐recognition domains of rat mannose‐binding protein and E‐selectin indicates that the C‐terminal domain of HLIT shares a common architecture with the C‐type lectins. Nevertheless, HLIT does not bind carbohydrate nor does it contain the characteristic calcium‐binding sites of the C‐type lectins. In consequence, HLIT represents the first structurally characterized member of this superfamily which is not a lectin. Analysis of the charge distribution and calculation of its dipole moment reveal that HLIT is a strongly polarized molecule. Eight acidic residues which are separated by regular 6 angstrom spacings form a unique and continuous patch on the molecular surface. This arrangement coincides with the distribution of calcium ions on certain planes of the calcium carbonate crystal; the dipole moment of HLIT may play a role in orienting the protein on the crystal surface prior to the more specific interactions of the acidic residues.

A colorimetric method has been used to quantify the collagen contained in 23 specimens of pancreatic tissue (11 controls and 12 chronic pancreatitis). The method takes advantage of the selective capacity of Sirius red to stain collagen protein and of rapid green to stain noncollagen protein. The results obtained by this method were compared with those of standard morphometry to determine tissue fibrosis.

To investigate the temporal relationship between the impairment of water excretion, sodium retention, and antidiuretic hormone hypersecretion in cirrhosis, free water excretion (estimated by the minimum urinary osmolality) and urinary antidiuretic hormone excretion (which correlates with the plasma levels of this hormone) were measured weekly after an oral water load in 18 rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis and in 20 control animals. The onset of ascites (as an index of sodium retention) in cirrhotic rats was estimated by sequential paracentesis. Thirteen cirrhotic animals developed an impairment of water excretion 2–5 wk after the onset of ascites. The urinary excretion of anti-diuretic hormone in these animals, which was normal before the impairment of water excretion, increased markedly within the week in which this abnormality was first detected and remained high thereafter. The remaining 5 cirrhotic rats did not experience an impairment of free water excretion in spite of developing ascites. The urinary excretion of antidiuretic hormone in these animals was similar to that of control rats during the entire study. In all urine samples obtained from cirrhotic rats, there was a highly significant direct linear correlation between the urinary excretion of antidiuretic hormone and the minimum urinary osmolality. Our results show the following: (a) in rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis, sodium retention preceded the impairment of water excretion; and (b) in these animals, the defect in water metabolism correlated chronologically and quantitatively with antidiuretic hormone hypersecretion. These findings are consistent with the concept that antidiuretic hormone is a major determinant of the impaired water metabolism in cirrhosis.