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Tribologically affected surfaces of high-strength steels often only may be protected against corrosion by the use of specific protecting oils. The protective effectiveness of these products is usually assessed by neutral salt spray test during qualification. As this test method takes a long time and because the reproducibility is poor a new test method was developed based on electrochemistry. It could be shown that a distinction was possible between well and nonprotecting oils based on current density curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the RMRP gene that codes for an RNA subunit of the MRP RNAse complex are the cause of cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH; MIM 250250). We tested the hypothesis that recessive metaphyseal dysplasia without hypotrichosis (M1M 250460), a disorder presenting with short stature and metaphyseal dysplasia similar to CHH, but lacking hair anomalies, immunodeficiency and other extra skeletal features, might be allelic to CHH. We identified four mutation-carrying alleles segregating with the skeletal phenotype in two unrelated boys and their parents. One allele carried the common Finnish mutation +70A → G; the remaining three carried +195C → T, +238C → T, and dupAAGCTGAGGACG at -2. Sequencing 120 alleles from a control group revealed an unusually high density of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in and around the RMRP gene: the biological significance of this finding is unclear. We conclude that recessive metaphyseal dysplasia without hypotrichosis is a variant of CHH, manifesting only as short stature and metaphyseal dysplasia. Precise diagnosis of this form of metaphyseal dysplasia is not without importance because of recessive inheritance with corresponding recurrence risk, as well as because of potential complications such as anaemia, susceptibility to infections and the increased likelihood of developing cancer. The short stature and metaphyseal changes associated with cone-shaped epiphyses of the hands should raise the diagnostic possibility of a CHH-related disorder that can then be confirmed by mutation analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTSkeletal dysplasias, a heterogeneous group of bone growth disorders, can be detected by routine prenatal ultrasound examination. As it is difficult to make a specific diagnosis, prediction of prognosis is of importance for obstetric management. In order to specify diagnosis, radiological, pathological and molecular genetic examination are often required. Our report describes two cases of thanatophoric dysplasia with different fetal sonographic findings. The classical classification of type I and II seems to be ambiguous as, in both cases, the same mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene was found. The importance of comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enchondromas are a feature of several constitutional disorders of bone, and the classification of different nosologic entities is still provisional. Among these disorders, spondyloenchondrodysplasia (SPENCD), as outlined by Schorr et al. [1976], is defined by the presence of radiolucent spondylar and metaphyseal lesions that represent persistence of islands of chondroid tissue within bone. Careful review of radiographic findings is needed to distinguish SPENCD from the many other disorders combining enchondromas with spinal lesions. Even when strict criteria are applied, it appears that SPENCD is clinically heterogeneous, as some SPENCD patients are neurologically intact while others present with spasticity, mental retardation, and cerebral calcifications in different combinations, and it has been suggested that SPENCD should be divided in two types. We herein report ten individuals from six families with SPENCD and illustrate the radiographic changes. Seven individuals had CNS manifestations including spasticity, developmental delay, and late-onset cerebral calcifications. We also noted that six individuals had clinical manifestations of autoimmunity (auto-immune thrombocytopenic purpura, auto-immune hemolytic anemia, auto-immune thyroiditis, and SLE) and one had been diagnosed with immune deficiency. Neurological and autoimmune manifestations were seen in different combinations within one single family. These observations suggest that SPENCD may be a single entity defined by specific radiographic features, but with remarkably pleiotropic manifestations that include CNS disease (spasticity, mental retardation, and calcifications), as well as immune dysregulation ranging from autoimmunity to immunodeficiency. The notion of recessive inheritance hitherto assumed is challenged by the observation of two apparently dominant pedigrees., (2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)