Methods to Assess Autophagy and Chronological Aging in Yeast.

Autophagy is a catabolic process that is crucial for cellular homeostasis and adaptive response to changing environments. Importantly, autophagy has been shown to be induced in many longevity-associated scenarios and to be required to maintain lifespan extension. Notably, autophagy is a highly conserved cellular process among eukaryotes, and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has become a universal model system for unraveling the molecular machinery underlying autophagic mechanisms. Here, we discuss different protocols to monitor survival and autophagy of yeast cells upon chronological aging. These include the use of propidium iodide to assess the loss of cell membrane integrity, as well as clonogenic assays to directly determine survival rates. Additionally, we describe methods to quantify autophagic flux, including the alkaline phosphatase activity or the GFP liberation assays, which measure the delivery of autophagosomal cargo to the vacuole. In sum, we have recapped established protocols used to evaluate a link between lifespan extension and autophagy in yeast.

Doppler assessment between pathological examination of the placenta and late fetal intrauterine demise.

AIM: The relation between placental histopathological examination, umbilical cord pathology and abnormal umbilical and cerebral Doppler as a predictor of stillbirth at later gestations was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 55 monofetal pregnancies complicated with late fetal death from 2005-2008 was conducted at the Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Bel-grade. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: chi-square likelihood ratio test and Spearman's coefficient correlation. RESULTS: Intrauterine fetal demise occurred most frequently at term -32.7% of the time. Changes in the umbilical artery resistance index were not significantly different from placental histopathology findings, p = 0.363. There was a significant correlation between neonatal birth weight and weeks of gestation at delivery, r = 0.796; p = 0.001. CONCLUSION: Umbilical artery Doppler is a relatively poor predictor of stillbirths due to placental dysfunction. It seems that neonatal birth weight is the best predictor of late stillbirth in high-risk pregnancies.

[Myositis ossificans in recurrent synovial hemangioma of the knee]. / Myositis ossificans nastao u recidivantom hemangiomu sinovije kolena.

A case of myositis ossificans in 15-year old boy that occurred as a complication of the recurrent synovia hemangioma of the left knee was presented. The alteration was diagnosed as: osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma and chondromyxoid fibroma by the pathologists from other institutions. The diagnosis of myositis ossificans was established using numerous histochemical and immunochemical methods (PAS, PAS diastasis, Alcian blue, Masson trichrom, von Kossa, Azur A, Toluidin blue, Goldner, method by Peris, Citokeratin, S-100, NSE and Vimentin). The presence of zonal phenomenon, as the one observed in the presented case, is one of the most significant criteria for differentiation of myositis ossificans from osteosarcoma.

[Pigmented villonodular synovitis--analysis of 50 patients]. / Pigmentni vilonodularni sinovitis--analiza 50 bolesnika.

Fifty patients with pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) were examined and treated in the Military Medical Academy in twenty-year period (1977-1996). Among them, 32 were male and 18 female (2:1), of average age from 6 to 72 years. Articular disease localization was 2.5 times more frequent compared to the non-articular. The rate of circumscribed in relation to diffuse form was 1.5:1. The ankle joint was most frequently involved (94%). In one patient, PVNS was proved in both ankle joints. The disease was clinically expressed as chronic, and 4 times more frequently as chronic recurrent synovitis. The data of previous injury were known in 14 patients. Associated rheumatic disease or injury was found in more than a half patients (53%). For the disease diagnosis there were used: physical examination, standard laboratory tests, radiography, ultrasonographic and magnet resonance examination and histopathologic examination of synovia obtained by open or arthroscopic biopsy. Surgical methods, such as total or partial synovectomy were applied in the therapy. Chemical synovectomy was performed in one patient, 6 months after the diagnostic arthroscopy due to disease recurrence. Therapeutic effect was estimated in 22 patients, from 3 months to 11 years after the surgery on the basis of disease recurrence. Except for the cited one patient, none other had the disease recurrence. It was concluded that timely diagnosis of PVNS offered more adequate treatment and conditions for complete recovery. In the disease limited just in the ankle joint, arthroscopic synovectomy would be the therapy of choice. In advanced diffuse form, total synovectomy should be performed for all the disease localizations.