[Emphysematous cystitis: Report of one case]. / La cystite emphysémateuse : à propos d'un cas.

INTRODUCTION: Emphysematous cystitis is a rare urinary tract infection characterized by gas in the bladder wall and lumen. CASE REPORT: We report a 92-year-old women admitted with confusion and abdominal pain without fever. Her past medical history included diabetes, urinary incontinence, high blood pressure and mild cognitive impairment. A computed tomography scan (CT scan) revealed emphysematous cystitis. The patient completely recovered within ten days. The main characteristics and the treatment of this uncommon disorder are presented. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be aware of this diagnosis: early management is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Changes in interhemispheric transfer rate and the development of bimanual coordination during childhood.

In this study, we investigated the effect of the development of interhemispheric communication on age-related change in bimanual coordination. Interhemispheric communication was assessed by comparing the latency of a manual response to a visual stimulus when the hemisphere perceiving the stimulus and the hemisphere controlling the manual response were the same (uncrossed condition) to the latency when they were different (crossed condition). In the first experiment (5- to 10-year-old children) we used a two-choice response-time task, and in the second experiment (3- to 7-year-old children) we used a simple response-time task. In both studies, bimanual coordination was tested on a line-drawing task, and we compared performance on mirror and parallel movements. The crossed-uncrossed difference decreased with age in both experiments. When estimated on the simple response-time task, the crossed-uncrossed difference was related to the difference in performance between mirror and parallel movements on the bimanual task. Thus, improved interhemispheric communication contributes to progress in bimanual coordination, especially that which requires resisting the attraction of mirror movements in order to rotate both hands with parallel movements.

Functional specificity conferred by the unique plasticity of fully alpha-helical Ras and Rho GAPs.

Structural comparisons of the two GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) p120 and p50 in complex with Ras and Rho, respectively, allowed us to decipher the functional role of specific structural features, such as helix alpha8c of p120 and helix A1 of p50, necessary for small GTPase recognition. We identified important residues that may be critical for stabilization of the GAP/GTPase binary complexes. Detection of topohydrophobic positions (positions which are most often occupied by hydrophobic amino acids within a family of protein domains) conserved between the two GAP families led to the characterization of a common flexible four-helix bundle. Altogether, these data are consistent with a rearrangement of several helices around a common core, which strongly supports the assumption that p50 and p120 GAPs derive from a unique fold. Considered as a whole, the remarkable plasticity of GAPs appears to be a means used by nature to accurately confer functional specificity.

Sequence and 3D structural relationships between mammalian Ras- and Rho-specific GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs): the cradle fold.

An extensive study of both sequence and recent 3D structural data concerning GTPase interacting domains of Ras- and Rho-specific GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) shows that these two subfamilies share a same 3D scaffold and are thus related to each other. This relationship has heretofore remained undetected although these domains of similar size are both totally alpha-helical and activate nearly structurally identical targets (Ras and Rho proteins). In this report, sequence similarities correlated to 3D structures of p120rasGAP and p50rhoGAP were detected using the sensitive two-dimensional method hydrophobic cluster analysis (HCA). These patterns were further extended to other members in each subfamily and the geometry orientation of crucial arginines R789 in p120 and R282 in p50 and of important stabilizing residues like p120R903 and p50N391 was confirmed. This overall structural relationship is centered on an invariant motif of three consecutive helices that we suggest to name the 'cradle fold'. This observation opens new perspectives to understand how small GTPases are specifically regulated.

Stereospecificity of myofibrillar calcium sensitivity and PDE inhibition in cardiotonic thiadiazinones.

In pyridazinone or thiadiazinone cardiotonic agents with one chiral centre, the PDE inhibitory action resides mainly in one enantiomer and the myofibrillar calcium sensitization mainly in the other. This phenomenon is observed when the chiral centre is located on the pyridazinone or thiadiazinone heterocycle, but cannot be extended to structures where the chiral centre is elsewhere on the molecule. For the first time a stereoselective synthesis of a 5-substituted 3,6-dihydro-6-methyl-2H-1,3,4-thiadiazine-2-one has been achieved and an absolute configuration is proposed.

Interactive computer-assisted analysis of chromosome 1 colocalization with nucleoli.

The applications of DNA cloning and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques have strengthened the hypothesis of an ordered chromatin structure in interphase nuclei, strongly suspected to vary with functional state. The nonrandom distribution of the centromeres and their dynamic rearrangement during the cell cycle have been well documented. A close proximity of specific centromeres to nucleoli has also been reported, but the functional meaning of this association is still unknown. In order to investigate whether the chromosome 1 centromere region to nucleolus association depends on the cell cycle and chromosome status, we combined FISH of probes specific for the 1q12 region with Ki-67 nucleolar antigen fluorescent immunocytochemical (FICC) detection on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line and on the MRC-5 normal fibroblastic cell line. Both FISH and FICC signals were interactively localized in a one-step fluorescent microscopic observation and further analyzed using the Highly Optimized Microscope Environment (HOME) graphics microscope workstation, which provided computerized interactive marking of 1q12 to nucleolus associations (1q12-nu) at the individual nucleus and nucleolus levels. This study confirms that centromeric regions, other than those adjacent to the major ribosomal cistrons, contribute to the perinucleolar chromatin and demonstrate that, during the cell cycle, the heterochromatic band 1q12 is dynamically rearranged with regard to both the nuclear volume and the nucleoli. A relationship between the association of the chromosome 1 pericentromeric region with nucleoli and the nucleolar transcriptional activity is also strongly suggested.

Combination of DNA in situ hybridization and immunocytochemical detection of nucleolar proteins: a contribution to the functional mapping of the human genome by fluorescence microscopy.

The recent application of DNA cloning and non-radioactive in situ hybridization techniques has strengthened the hypothesis of an ordered chromatin structure in interphase nuclei. The arrangement of specific chromosomal regions is not random and is strongly suspected to vary with functional activity. The combination of in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry, allowing simultaneous detection of nucleic acid sequences and specific antigens in the same nucleus, has already made significant contributions to the study of gene expression, to simultaneous karyotyping and phenotyping of tumor cells, and to in situ analysis of viral infections. This report emphasizes the considerable interest of such combined techniques for functional in situ mapping of the genome at the individual cell level. We propose a method that combines fluorescence immunocytochemical detection of nucleolar proteins and fluorescence in situ hybridization of centromeric and telomeric probes specific for chromosome 1 in two cultured human cell lines. The preparative constraints for a broad application of this procedure are defined so that the cell preparations can be further analyzed by fluorescence microscopic imaging techniques and confocal laser scan microscopy. The two selected sequences of the human chromosome 1 can be localized in the nucleus with respect to nucleolar proteins in a one-step fluorescence microscopic observation.

[Childhood visceral leishmaniasis in the Alpes-Maritimes from 1985 to 1992]. / La leishmaniose viscérale infantile dans les alpes-maritimes de 1985 a 1992.

Here, we present an analysis of clinical and biological data from 15 infantile visceral leishmaniasis recorded between 1985 and 1992 in the French department of Alpes-Maritimes. The association of fever, splenomegalia, tricytopenia remains the most constant and predictive of diagnosis (90% of cases). Bone marrow smear affirms diagnosis in 93% of cases. Leishmania infantum MON-1 is the causative agent. Except for one case of advanced stade with severe hepatic lesions and one case of clinical resistance to Glucantime, prognosis is favourable under treatment with antimony derivatives. The long term results for children considered cured after initial treatment is satisfactory. In the department, the number of cases of combined ages has increased regularly since 1985. The number of infantile forms has increased but now represents nevertheless no more than 28% of total cases. On the other hand, cases are increasing in adults and 40% of those adult cases are in HIV positive patients.

Detection of chromosome 1 aberrations by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7.

In situ hybridization using nucleic acid probes specific for a particular chromosome repetitive sequence makes it possible to determine the number of corresponding chromosomes and potential aberrations in each cell of the population under investigation. The number of in situ hybridization spots per nucleus, indicating chromosomal ploidy and/or aberrations, thus marks the possible cell subpopulations having an abnormal karyotype. Applying such an interphase cytogenetics approach on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line with centromeric (pUC 1.77) and telomeric (1p-79) probes specific for repetitive sequences on the chromosome 1, we investigated the heterogeneity of the cell population on the basis of the number of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) spots per nucleus and their location with respect to the others. We also followed the chromosome 1 genetic drift as the cell population aged. Our results confirmed the already known trisomy for the chromosome 1 in this cell line and demonstrated a deletion and a translocation of its telomeric sequence. Moreover, a subpopulation of cells with six chromosomes 1 representing a few percent of the population was transiently detected.

[Severe visceral leishmaniasis with hepatic involvement. Diagnostic value of the immunoblotting serologic technic]. / Leishmaniose viscérale sévère avec atteinte hépatique. Intérêt diagnostique de la technique sérologique d'immunoempreinte.

The case of a 13 year old boy with a severe form of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) mimicking portal hypertension and of unfavorable outcome is presented. The authors stress the usefulness of investigating humoral immune response by using Western Blot assay in order to confirm the diagnosis when the parasite cannot be isolated. Since VL may be responsible for death if the treatment is delayed, screening of the disease in children presenting with chronic liver disease is important in endemic area.

Quantitative analysis of cytoskeletal proteins throughout the cell cycle of the MRC-5 fibroblastic cell line.

Fluorescent dyes were used to stain actin, vimentin, tubulin and DNA in the same MRC-5 fibroblastic cells. Cytofluorometry and image analysis were then used to quantitatively evaluate the F actin, vimentin and tubulin content throughout the cell cycle. The results showed that different cells can have the same DNA content while their cytoskeletal protein content is variable. The data also showed that cytoskeletal protein content variations exist throughout the cell cycle of the fibroblastic cell line. The F actin content increased during the cell cycle from G1 to G2 phases and decreased in M phase. The amount of tubulin in the G2 was about twice as much as that in the G1 phase, before decreasing in the M phase; there was a threshold of tubulin content for G2 cells entering S phase.