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Aim To review and report our experience in the laparoscopic hernia treatment. Material & Methods It's a retrospective observational study including all patients who underwent a laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP) in our hospital between January 2016 to April 2022. Results From a total of 190 patients, 92% were male with a median age of 55,7 years old. Most of the cases were a primary hernia repair (81%) and 51,6% had bilateral presentation. Regarding the type of mesh employed, 89,1% were Adhesix®, 7,5% were Progrip® and 3,2% were flat polypropylen meshes. Tackers were used to fix the mesh only in a 11,2% of the patients. To close the peritoneum flap an absorbable barbed suture was used in a 94% of the cases, while tackers in a 5,9%. No intra-operative complications were described and 91,5% of surgeries were performed on an outpatioent basis. Concerning complications on the first fllow-up month: 7 patients suffered pain (3,4%) and 7 hematoma/seroma. Long-term complications were: chronic pain in 4 patients (2 with Adhesix®, 1 Progrip®, the forth one unknown; in none of them tackers were used); recurrence happened in 14 patients (7,6%) (11 Adhesix®, 2 Progrip®, 1 flat polypropylen mesh; tackers were used in three of these patients to fix the mesh). Conclusions Adhesix® mesh was the most employed (89,1%) and the one with the lowest recurrence rate (6,6%). According to our experience, tackers aren't necessary when an auto-adhesive mesh is used. Although they weren't related with postoperative pain, they didn't seem to prevent recurrence eiher.

Aim We present the use of the Fasciotens-abdomen® fascial traction device for the closure of large eventrations in three patients treated in our department. Material & Methods Description of three cases of large eventration in which we used the Fasciotens-abdomen® device. Results The first patient is a 61-year-old woman with a history of anterior ultra-low rectal resection. She presents an M2-M4W3 10 cm eventration. A Rives eventroplasty was performed with placement of a 25×10cm retromuscular PPL mesh. Fasciotens-abdomen® device was applied with a 14–16 kg load during 25 minutes. The second case is a 45-year-old female patient with a previous umbilical hernioplasty in 2016. She presents an M2-M4W3R1 11 cm eventration. During the eventroplasty, fascial approach with Fasciotens-abdomen® device was performed for 25 minutes/14–16 kg, and a mesh of 22×11 cm was placed onlay. Thirdly, a 60-year-old female patient with a previous eventroplasty in 2015. She presented an M2-M3W3 14 cm eventration. During the Rives eventroplasty, 70 cm of small bowel were resected due to firm adhesions. The closure was performed with retromuscular mesh placement and fascial approximation with Fasciotens-abdomen®, for 25 minutes/14kg. All three patients received an infiltration of 15 IU of botulinum toxin weeks before the reconstruction surgery and were discharged from the hospital uneventflul. Conclusions Large incisional hernias pose a challenge to the surgeon. Adjunctive procedures for abdominal wall reconstruction, like the Fasciotens®fascial traction device, help to achieve tension-free midline closure.

Aim The aim of this communication is to present an exceptionally rare type of hernia and its surgical management. Material and methods We report the case of a 66-year-old male with recurrence of inguinal hernia. A routine Computed Tomography scan revealed as an incidental finding the ureter forming a loop within the hernia sac. Additional findings included pyelocaliceal duplicity and ureteropelvic dilatation. Results An attempted transabdominal peritoneal repair (TAPP) was performed, with dissection of the ureter. To prevent adhesion formation with the ureter, no mesh was placed. An inguinal incision and suture of the deep inguinal ring was performed. The patient was discharged the same day, with no associated complications. Conclusions Ureteroinguinal hernia is a rare presentation, but with potentially serious complications. Knowledge of its existence is important in view of the possibility of its incidental finding. There are approximately 140 cases described in the literature, the vast majority of which involve ectopic kidney. Our case presented an inguinoureteral hernia on native kidneys and obstructive voiding symptoms. The laparoscopic TAPP approach allows identification and safe dissection of the ureter. Due to the low frequency of this pathology, there is no consensus on the placement of the mesh in the peritoneal space due to the risk of adhesion of the ureter. Therefore, in our case we opted for an open repair of the hernia.

Aim To report the case of the emergency management of an incarcerated giant umbilical hernia in a superobese patient with a damage control surgery as the first step for its treatment. Material & Methods We present the case of a 47-year-old man with a BMI of 62 kg/m2 who arrived to the emergency department for abdominal pain. Examination and CT scan revealed a giant umbilical incarcerated hernia with loss of domain, with an 8 cm hernia neck and containing the entire bowel except for the rectosigmoid and duodenum. Results The emergency managment was a laparotomy with a subcutaneous right lateral approach, opening first the hernia sac to verify bowel viability. Then, we performed a tranverse chelotomy on the right side of the defect, leaving the defect open and wider to prevent hernia strangulation. We left two drains in the subcutaneuos space and the wound was covered with vacuum therapy dressing. The patient recovery was uneventful and he was discharged in the sixth postoperative day. After this episode the patient started a very strict weight loss treatment, so we coul plan the final wall reconstruction surgery, which hasn't already been performed, but which will include botulinum toxin and progressive preoperative pneumoperitoneum. Conclusions We belive that damage control surgery was the most appropiate option as the first step for the management of an incarcerated complex hernia, so in a second time an elective complex wall reconstruction surgery could be performed.

Aberration-corrected STEM has become a standard analytical technique in the field of nanoscience. As “designer materials” have become more in demand in academic circles, verification of a desired product makes atomic-resolutionanalysis mandatory. Industry currently faces the same trend where tailor-made materials are customized for a given application. Here we show several examples where quantifiable atomic-scale manipulation of nanomaterials can have a dramatic impact on structure and, by extension, functionality.

The paper presents a new model for estimating individual vehicle speed passing through the test stand equipped with a single inductive loop detector. The proposed model is a multi-input model (up to 9 inputs), and no longer one or two. The use of such a model has reduced vehicle speed estimation error. (Individual vehicle speed estimation on the base of magnetic profile analysis)

International audience; The development of molecular descriptions of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is essential for elucidating conformational transitions that characterize common neurodegenerative disorders. We use nuclear magnetic resonance, small angle scattering, and molecular ensemble approaches to characterize the IDPs Tau and α-synuclein. Ensemble descriptions of IDPs are highly underdetermined due to the inherently large number of degrees of conformational freedom compared with available experimental measurements. Using extensive cross-validation we show that five different types of independent experimental parameters are predicted more accurately by selected ensembles than by statistical coil descriptions. The improvement increases in regions whose local sampling deviates from statistical coil, validating the derived conformational description. Using these approaches we identify enhanced polyproline II sampling in aggregation-nucleation sites, supporting suggestions that this region of conformational space is important for aggregation.

Antiaggregation drugs play an important role in therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer’s disease. Although a large number of small molecules that inhibit the aggregation of the tau protein have been identified, little is known about their mode of action. Here, we reveal the mechanism and the nature of tau species that are generated by interaction of tau with the organic compound pthalocyanine tetrasulfonate (PcTS). We demonstrate that PcTS interferes with tau filament formation by targeting the protein into soluble oligomers. A combination of NMR spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and small-angle X-ray scattering reveals that the soluble tau oligomers contain a dynamic, noncooperatively stabilized core with a diameter of 30–40 nm that is distinct from the core of tau filaments. Our results suggest that specific modulation of the conformation of tau is a viable strategy for reduction of pathogenic tau deposits.

A study published in 2007 showed that the intake of six food colours (the so-called 'Southampton colours') may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. The present study set out to assess the exposure of Polish children (3 and 8-9 years old, n = 149) to six of the target colours. Two methods were used to evaluate colour consumption by children: scenario 1 using the maximum permitted levels (MPLs) and actual food consumption data; and scenario 2 using the actual levels in food and actual food consumption data. The data on the actual consumption of food containing the colours was collected using a 7-day questionnaire survey. The results of laboratory analysis of food consumed by children provided data on the actual levels of the colours in food. Consumption of the colours estimated by scenario 1 in any case did not exceed the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) of the colours in both age groups of children. For more refined colour intake (scenario 2), isolated cases exceeding the ADI were recorded for four colours, but assuming that manufacturers comply with the current legislation on MPL of colours in food, the intake of the colours assessed in scenario 2 should not be a reason for exceeding of ADIs for the target food colours.

The construction of useful functional biomolecular components not currently part of the natural repertoire is central to synthetic biology. A new light-capturing ultra-high-efficiency energy transfer protein scaffold has been constructed by coupling the chromophore centers of two normally unrelated proteins: the autofluorescent protein enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and the heme-binding electron transfer protein cytochrome b(562) (cyt b(562)). Using a combinatorial domain insertion strategy, a variant was isolated in which resonance energy transfer from the donor EGFP to the acceptor cyt b(562) was close to 100% as evident by virtually full fluorescence quenching on heme binding. The fluorescence signal of the variant was also sensitive to the reactive oxygen species H(2)O(2), with high signal gain observed due to the release of heme. The structure of oxidized holoprotein, determined to 2.75 Å resolution, revealed that the two domains were arranged side-by-side in a V-shape conformation, generating an interchromophore distance of ~17 Å (14 Å edge-to-edge). Critical to domain arrangement is the formation of a molecular pivot point between the two domains as a result of different linker sequence lengths at each domain junction and formation of a predominantly polar interdomain interaction surface. The retrospective structural analysis has provided an explanation for the basis of the observed highly efficient energy transfer through chromophore arrangement in the directly evolved protein scaffold and provides an insight into the molecular principles by which to design new proteins with coupled functions.

The ribosomal stalk of the 60S subunit has been shown to play a crucial role in all steps of protein synthesis, but its structure and exact molecular function remain an unanswered question. In the present study, we show the low-resolution models of the solution structure of the yeast ribosomal stalk, composed of five proteins, P0–(P1–P2)2. The model of the pentameric stalk complex determined by small-angle X-ray scattering reveals an elongated shape with a maximum length of 13 nm. The model displays three distinct lobes, which may correspond to the individual P1–P2 heterodimers anchored to the C-terminal domain of the P0 protein.

The paper presents new developments and amendments to the ATSAS package (version 2.4) for processing and analysis of isotropic small-angle scattering data., New developments in the program package ATSAS (version 2.4) for the processing and analysis of isotropic small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering data are described. They include (i) multiplatform data manipulation and display tools, (ii) programs for automated data processing and calculation of overall parameters, (iii) improved usage of high- and low-resolution models from other structural methods, (iv) new algorithms to build three-dimensional models from weakly interacting oligomeric systems and complexes, and (v) enhanced tools to analyse data from mixtures and flexible systems. The new ATSAS release includes installers for current major platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac OSX) and provides improved indexed user documentation. The web-related developments, including a user discussion forum and a widened online access to run ATSAS programs, are also presented.

Differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and small angle scattering of synchrotron radiation have been used to analyse the influence of zwitterionic surfactant (3-(N-hexylmorpholine)-1-propansulfonate) on the conformational dynamics of CH2 and CH3 groups of 1,2-dimyrilstoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and the phase behaviour of phospholipid bilayers. The surfactant causes changes in the DMPC phase transition temperature and promotes a gradual disappearance of the lamellar phase of DMPC and a probable formation of the bicellar phase.

Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and small-angle scattering of synchrotron radiation have been used to analyze the influence of two zwitterionic surfactants of the sulfobetaine structure (3-(N-decylmorpholine)-1-propansulfonate and 3-(N-tetradecylmorpholine)-1-propansulfonate) on the conformational dynamics of CH 2 and O–P–O groups of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and the structure of phospholipid bilayers. The presence of the surfactant causes changes in the DMPC phase transition temperature. Our small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data analysis implies a gradual disappearance of the lamellar phase typical of DMPC and a probable formation of the bicellar phase or cubic phase in DMPC/surfactants system.

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are notoriously challenging to study both experimentally and computationally. The structure of IDPs cannot be described by a single conformation but must instead be described as an ensemble of interconverting conformations. Atomistic simulations are increasingly used to obtain such IDP conformational ensembles. Here, we have compared the IDP ensembles generated by eight all-atom empirical force fields against primary small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and NMR data. Ensembles obtained with different force fields exhibit marked differences in chain dimensions, hydrogen bonding, and secondary structure content. These differences are unexpectedly large: changing the force field is found to have a stronger effect on secondary structure content than changing the entire peptide sequence. The CHARMM 22* ensemble performs best in this force field comparison: it has the lowest error in chemical shifts and J-couplings and agrees well with the SAXS data. A high population of left-handed α-helix is present in the CHARMM 36 ensemble, which is inconsistent with measured scalar couplings. To eliminate inadequate sampling as a reason for differences between force fields, extensive simulations were carried out (0.964 ms in total); the remaining small sampling uncertainty is shown to be much smaller than the observed differences. Our findings highlight how IDPs, with their rugged energy landscapes, are highly sensitive test systems that are capable of revealing force field deficiencies and, therefore, contributing to force field development.

Proteins of the Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1) family are regulators of chromatin structure and genome function in eukaryotes. Post-translational modifications expand the repertoire of the chemical diversity of HP1 proteins and regulate their activity. Here, we investigated the effect of phosphorylation by Casein kinase 2 (CK2) on the structure, dynamics and binding activity of human HP1 beta. We show that Ser89 in the hinge region is the most effective substrate, followed by Ser175 at the C-terminal tail. Phosphorylation at these sites results in localized conformational changes in HP1 beta that do not compromise the ability of the protein to bind chromatin. (C) 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Little is currently known about the role of γδ+ + T cells in disease pathogenesis. We have demonstrated elevated levels of γδ+ T cells in the peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Wilson's disease compared with other neurological diseases. The percentage of of γδ+ T cells was between 20% and 50% in all patient groups: of γδ+ T cells in blood correlated with copper concentrations. The antigen reactivity of γδ+ + T cells and how the antigens relate to the of γδ+ T cells found in WD remains unknown. It remains unclear whether there is a direct reason for the elevated of γδ+ T cells population found in WD. Immunohistochemistry of frozen autopsy material from brain and liver of WD patients could allow exact localization of γδ+ T cells and heat shock proteins in future studies.

This paper investigates the operation and protection issues on a distribution system with high penetration of residential PV systems. PV systems are smaller scale resources and therefore they have different impact on a distribution circuit than larger scale resources. The paper indeed considers a typical residential feeder and investigates PV system impacts on the system at different penetration levels. Simulations on this system show that the even the high penetration level PV systems can be accommodated as the impact on the system will not be severe.

The field of protein structure prediction has been revolutionized by the application of “mix-and-match” methods both in template-based homology modeling, as well as in template-free, “de novo” folding. Automated generation of models that are closer to the native structure of the target protein than the structure of its closest homolog is currently possible by recombination of fragments copied from known protein structures or extracted from alternative starting models. It is also the most successful approach in the cases where the target protein exhibits a novel three-dimensional fold. This chapter is an update of a review article published earlier [Bujnicki JM, Chem Bio Chem 7(1):19–27, 2006 Jan 9, Copyright Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Reproduced with permission]. It summarizes the recent developments in both template-based and template-free protein structure modeling and compares the available methods for protein structure prediction by recombination of fragments.