Temporary aortopexy to facilitate exposure during resection of the intrathoracic trachea.

During the resection of the intrathoracic trachea by the transsternal approach, the ascending aorta, because of its anatomic position, impedes visualization. Herein, we report a technique that allows excellent exposure of the entire intrathoracic trachea, thereby facilitating this procedure.

Effects of ovariectomy and estradiol injections on food intake and body weight in rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions.

Female rats with lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) were ovariectomized during the static obese stage after body weight levels had stabilized. Following ovariectomy, rats with VMH lesions showed smaller increases in food intake and less body weight gain than non-lesioned controls ovariectomized at the same time. Subsequently, the effects of peripheral injections of estradiol benzoate (EB) on feeding and body weight were examined. Ovariectomized rats with VHM lesions were also less responsive to exogenous EB treatment; they lost significantly less weight in response to estrogen than controls. EB caused a somewhat smaller reduction in food intake by the VMH group but this difference was not significant. Considered together the available data on changes in responsiveness to endogenous and exogenous estrogen following VMH lesions suggest a role for VMH estrogen receptors in the regulation of body weight, but these estrogen receptors may not modulate weight by directly altering food intake as previously suggested.

The role of surgery following radiotherapy failure for advanced laryngopharyngeal cancer. A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: To comment on the use of surgery following radiotherapy failure for advanced laryngopharyngeal cancer. METHODS: Of 212 participants, 88 underwent potentially curative surgical salvage following radiotherapy failure. These 88 patients were followed up prospectively for a median of 4.4 years following surgery; complications, recurrences, tumor measures, and survival were documented to facilitate a critical analysis. RESULTS: Surgical complications developed in 48% of the patients, were most prevalent following pharyngectomy (P = .03), and were not influenced by the addition of a neck dissection (P = .76). Postsurgical survival was statistically associated with the TNM stage of the recurrent tumor and the site of recurrence (local or regional vs both), but was not associated with the TNM stage of the original tumor, time to recurrence, age, sex, or primary site. The overall 5-year postsurgical survival for this cohort was 35%. Utilizing a policy of primary radiotherapy, reserving surgery for radiotherapy failures, 41% of our patients retained functional larynges without reducing their overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that recurrent tumors be restaged, as the measures of the recurrent tumor, not the tumor at original presentation, correlate best with survival following surgical intervention for tumor recurrence.

[Consumption of antihypertensive agents in obese patients: a cross-sectional study in a sample of 3,291 wage-earners in the Toulous region]. / Consommation de médicaments antihypertenseurs chez le sujet obèse: enquête transversale auprès d'un échantillon de 3,291 salariés de la région toulousaine.

A cross-sectional study in a sample of 3,291 healthy workers was performed in May 1997 to assess the prevalence of obesity (BMI > or = 30 kg/m2) in a working population, and to compare prescription of antihypertensive drugs in obese and non obese subjects. Obesity was found in 7.4% (245) subjects and morbid obesity concerned 0.4% of the total sample (mean age 37.6 +/- 9.7 [SD] years, 52.4% of males). Risk of obesity was significantly associated with age, male sex, professional classes (higher in blue collars workers, lower in senior executive), business travels, atypical schedules, professional and private difficulties. Albeit the prevalence of drug users (49.7%) was similar whatever the BMI, obese subjects used a higher number of drugs than non obese (2.0 +/- 1.2 versus 1.6 +/- 0.9, p < 0.001). Risk of consumption of cardiovascular drugs was higher in obese than in non obese subjects (OR 2.9, 95% CI [2.2-4.1]). After adjustment on confounding factors, obesity increased specific drug use such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (OR 3.3, 95% CI [1.7-6.4]), beta-blocking agents (OR 2.83, 95% CI [1.01-8.01]), calcium channel blockers (OR 2.44, 95% CI [1.06-5.63]) or diuretics only in women (OR 5.7, 95% CI [2.1-16.3]). Prescribed antihypertensive drugs were different in obese (beta-blockers = angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors > diuretics > calcium channels blockers) and non obese (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors > calcium channel blockers > diuretics > beta-blockers) subjects.

Identification and treatment of poison ivy dermatitis.

Poison ivy dermatitis is an acute self-limiting problem of two or three weeks' duration that can cause significant discomfort. Poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac cause more cases of allergic contact dermatitis than all the other contact allergens combined. Treatment of poison ivy dermatitis depends on the severity of the reaction. The nurse practitioner can manage the majority of poison ivy cases. However, if there is systemic involvement, a physician consultation is necessary. The patient can best be assisted by assessing the severity of the dermatitis, prescribing an appropriate supportive therapy and teaching preventive measures.

Management of the nasal tip in the external approach rhinoplasty.

This papaer describes some of the advantages of the external rhinoplastic approach in managing the nasal tip, in particular, in revision surgery and cleft palate nose. It also reviews many of the methods of tip management which are essentially similar in the external and closed procedures e.g. altering projection, rotation and shortening of the tip, and management of asymmetries.

Effect of herbimycin A on hsp30 and hsp70 heat shock protein gene expression in Xenopus cultured cells.

We have examined the effect of herbimycin A, a benzoquinoid ansamycin antibiotic, on the pattern of gene expression in amphibians. Exposure of Xenopus laevis A6 kidney epithelial cells to 1 microgram/mL herbimycin A induced the synthesis of the heat shock proteins hsp30 and hsp70 as well as 33- and 45-kDa proteins. Enhanced synthesis of a 34-kDa protein appears to be specific to herbimycin A because its synthesis did not increase after heat shock (35 degrees C). In addition, the synthesis of hsp30 and hsp70 induced by herbimycin A was accompanied by an increase in their mRNAs. Herbimycin A induced a transient accumulation of hsp30 and hsp70 mRNA, which peaked between 4 and 6 h. Finally, concurrent treatment of cells with 0.5 microgram/mL herbimycin A and a mild heat shock of 27 degrees C yielded a synergistic accumulation of hsp30 and hsp70 mRNA. These studies demonstrate that herbimycin A can induce the expression of a set of stress proteins in amphibians and that concurrent treatment with herbimycin A and mild heat shock has a synergistic effect on the accumulation of hsp30 and hsp70 mRNA.

Reconstitution of a minimal RNA degradosome demonstrates functional coordination between a 3' exonuclease and a DEAD-box RNA helicase.

The RNA degradosome is a multiprotein complex required for the degradation of highly structured RNAs. We have developed a method for reconstituting a minimal degradosome from purified proteins. Our results demonstrate that a degradosome-like complex containing RNase E, PNPase, and RhlB can form spontaneously in vitro in the absence of all other cellular components. Moreover, ATP-dependent degradation of the malEF REP RNA by the reconstituted, minimal degradosome is indistinguishable from that of degradosomes isolated from whole cells. The Rne protein serves as an essential scaffold in the reconstitution process; however, RNase E activity is not required. Rather, Rne coordinates the activation of RhlB dependent on a 3' single-stranded extension on RNA substrates. A model for degradosome-mediated degradation of structured RNA is presented with its implications for mRNA decay in Escherichia coli.