Bizarre Paranoid Delusions Associated With an Implanted Surgical Device.

We describe a case involving bizarre paranoid delusions following implantation of a sacral nerve stimulator, and review the literature regarding psychotic symptoms related to surgical implants. A 64-year-old female developed bizarre paranoid delusions regarding a sacral nerve stimulator that had been implanted two years previously for dysfunctional voiding. The patient believed that the wires from the sacral nerve electrodes had grown up her spine and were affecting her vision as well as controlling her thoughts. The delusions developed in the setting of profound anxiety and feelings of loss after the death of her mother. The patient initially demanded that the implant be removed emergently. The delusions gradually abated as she adjusted to the loss of her mother. Fortunately the symptoms abated entirely with supportive care. We suspect that given the frequency of surgical implants that the association with delusional thoughts might be much higher than suggested by a literature review.

Effect of type and timing of oil supplements to sows during pregnancy on the growth performance and endocrine profile of low and normal birth weight offspring.

Eighty-eight multiparous sows were used to evaluate whether type and timing of oil supplementation during gestation influences the incidence of low birth weight (LBW). Sows were allocated (eight per treatment) commercial sow pellets (3 kg/d; control diet) or an experimental diet consisting of control diet plus 10 % extra energy in the form of excess pellets, palm oil, olive oil (OO), sunflower oil (SO) or fish oil; experimental diets were fed during either the first half (G1) or second half (G2) of gestation. Growth performance and endocrine profile of LBW (<1.09 kg) and normal birth weight (NBW; 1.46-1.64 kg) offspring were compared. Maternal dietary supplementation altered the distribution curve for piglet birth weight. SOG1 sows had a greater proportion of LBW piglets (P<0.05), whilst it was reduced in the OOG1 group (P<0.05). Growth rate of LBW piglets was lower compared with their NBW siblings (P<0.05) when dietary supplementation was offered in G2 but were similar for G1. At birth, LBW offspring of supplemented animals possessed more fat compared with the control group (P<0.05); LBW offspring of control animals exhibited a more rapid decline in fat free mass/kg prior to weaning. Plasma metabolites and insulin concentrations were influenced by maternal diet and birth weight. In conclusion, maternal dietary supplementation altered the distribution of piglet birth weights and improved the energy status of LBW piglets. Supplementation with MUFA during G1 reduced the incidence of LBW, whereas PUFA had the reverse effect.

Effects of lipid-supplemented total parenteral nutrition on fatty liver disease in a premature neonatal piglet model.

BACKGROUND: Routine total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in neonatal care can result in hepatic dysfunction in 40-60% of patients, most commonly as fatty liver, but little work has been conducted on the underlying mechanisms causing hepatic dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To use a piglet model for the premature human neonate on TPN, supplemented with lipid emulsions, to investigate hepatic responses. METHOD: Piglets were delivered 2 days prematurely. Six control piglets were fed enterally (E), whilst twelve animals were maintained on TPN. TPN piglets received the standard TPN solution plus the lipid emulsion as either ClinOleic(R) (C, n = 6) or Intralipid(R) (I, n = 6). Hepatic lipid content and the fatty acid composition of liver triacylglyercol (TAG) as well as hepatic lipase (HL) activity were determined. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was measured in the liver, muscle and adipose tissue. The plasma concentrations of choline, bilirubin, TAG and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) were also measured. RESULTS: Liver lipid was significantly increased in piglets on TPN and the tissue fatty acid profiles reflected the lipid emulsion. HL and LPL activities were reduced in liver but LPL increased in adipose tissue during TPN. Plasma concentrations of choline, bilirubin, TAG and NEFA were similar across the treatments. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest fatty liver occurs in neonates receiving TPN and the source of the accumulated lipid appears to be the lipid emulsion used. The factors regulating lipase activity during TPN require further study. The piglet can be used as a model for neonatal TPN.

The problem of how fungal and oomycete avirulence proteins enter plant cells.

Recent advances in cloning avirulence genes from a rust fungus and three oomycete species have provided the novel insight that these eukaryotic plant pathogens deliver small proteins into the host cell cytoplasm where they are recognized by resistance proteins. Anne Rehmany et al. have recently identified a potential host-targeting signal in oomycete avirulence proteins from Hyaloperonospora parasitica, Phytophthora sojae and Phytophthora infestans that might be involved in transporting proteins into the host cell. This signal is surprisingly similar to the host targeting signal used by the malaria pathogen Plasmodium fulciparum to target virulence proteins to the mammalian host cell.

New pollen-specific receptor kinases identified in tomato, maize and Arabidopsis: the tomato kinases show overlapping but distinct localization patterns on pollen tubes.

We previously characterized LePRK1 and LePRK2, pollen-specific receptor kinases from tomato (Muschietti et al., 1998). Here we identify a similar receptor kinase from maize, ZmPRK1, that is also specifically expressed late in pollen development, and a third pollen receptor kinase from tomato, LePRK3. LePRK3 is less similar to LePRK1 and LePRK2 than either is to each other. We used immunolocalization to show that all three LePRKs localize to the pollen tube wall, in partially overlapping but distinct patterns. We used RT-PCR and degenerate primers to clone homologues of the tomato kinases from other Solanaceae. We deduced features diagnostic of pollen receptor kinases and used these criteria to identify family members in the Arabidopsis database. RT-PCR confirmed pollen expression for five of these Arabidopsis candidates; two of these are clearly homologues of LePRK3. Our results reveal the existence of a distinct pollen-specific receptor kinase gene family whose members are likely to be involved in perceiving extracellular cues during pollen tube growth.