A rare variation of the celiac trunk: a case report

Vascular variations of visceral arteries are common and usually asymptomatic, but they become important in patients suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding and undergoing diagnostic angiography or an invasive vascular catheter intervention or operative procedure. In our institute about 200 anatomical specimens were dissected in the last ten years. However, a gastroduodenal artery as a branch of the celiac trunk and a separated duodenal artery, originated from the left proper hepatic artery, were found for the first time. Furthermore, we observed a second left gastric artery that supplies the fundic area of the stomach. Arterial variations are very important in abdominal operative procedures and they need to be known in order to avoid complications in clinical medicine during radiological and surgical interventions

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Erythropoietin enhances cell proliferation and survival of human fetal neuronal progenitors in normoxia.

Extensive data reporting the neurogenerative, neuroprotective and neuroregenerative potential of erythropoietin (EPO), mainly on RNA level, can be found in the literature. However, there is still a poor knowledge on the response of neuronal progenitor cells (NPC) upon stimulation with EPO in terms of the protein species involved. Herein, the effect of EPO on the proliferation of human mesencephalic NPC (hmNPC) under normoxia is monitored using cellular assays and proteomic analysis (two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry). The administration of EPO increased the proliferation of hmNPC within 4 days after application. It positively influenced the cell-cycle progression by affecting the G2 phase of the cell cycle. A proteomic analysis of the protein expression in hmNPC cultures 4 days after EPO treatment identified 8 proteins differentially expressed in EPO-treated cultures. It is likely that one or more of the identified proteins are involved in cellular pathways that promote cell proliferation and differentiation of hmNPC under normoxia. Their further characterization could provide cellular targets for the development of new therapeutic agents to treat CNS injury. Moreover, as EPO signaling is hypoxia-inducible, our findings may also indicate the beneficial effect of EPO to mimic hypoxia, while bypassing its negative effects, to culture human fetal midbrain-derived progenitor cells.

Identification of sulfoquinovosyldiacyglycerides from Phaeodactylum tricornutum by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization QTrap time-of-flight hybrid mass spectrometry.

The pharmaceutical industry is interested in identifying novel target compounds. Due to their versatile pharmacological activities (e.g. antiviral, anti-carcinogen and immunosuppressive) sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerides (SQDGs) are potential drug candidates. The present publication deals with the purification and structural characterization of SQDGs from three different strains of Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Besides detection of SQDGs (sn-1: C16:1/sn-2: C16:0 and sn-1: C20:5/sn-2: C16:0), two novel 2'-O-acylsulfoquinovosyldiacylglyerides (Ac-SQDGs, sn-1: C16:0/ sn-2: C16:0/2' C20:5 and sn-1: C20:5/sn-2: C16:0/2' C20:5) were identified by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) QTrap time-of-flight (ToF) hybrid mass spectrometry (MS) with multistage MS(n). The analytical method enables the sn-position verification of fatty acids (MS(2)) as well as the confirmation of the regioposition of eicospentanoic acid at the sulfoquinovose (MS(3)).

Proteomic analysis to display the effect of low doses of erythropoietin on rat liver regeneration.

AIMS: Several groups found different impact of erythropoietin (EPO) on liver regeneration. Both pro-proliferative as well as anti-proliferative and non-proliferative activities have been reported using high dosage of EPO. Systemic administration of high doses of this cytokine is a clinical concern due to risk of thrombosis. Herein, we applied EPO in low dosages and investigated whether it can stimulate liver regeneration after liver resection. MAIN METHODS: Parameters of liver regeneration were assessed 3 days after 70% hepatectomy by means of immunochemistry and proteomics. EPO was given twice in low dosages (200 and 600 IU/kg BW). KEY FINDINGS: We showed that EPO facilitated hepatic regeneration in rats. Enhanced hepatocyte proliferation (Ki67, BrdU-positive cells) was observed in all EPO-treated groups. By performing Differential Proteomic analysis, we identified two proteins which resulted sensitive to EPO treatment after hepatectomy: Peroxiredoxin-1 and glutathione S-transferase Mu 1. SIGNIFICANCE: Based on our results, low doses of rhEPO increase the hepatic regenerative capacity after partial hepatectomy in rats by enhancing hepatocyte proliferation and acting on antioxidant enzymes. Both proteins identified by proteomic analysis have not previously been associated with liver regeneration and will aid in the understanding of EPO's regenerative response having clinical implications to treat liver failure.

Proteome analysis of vaccinia virus IHD-W-infected HEK 293 cells with 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-PSD-TOF MS of on solid phase support N-terminally sulfonated peptides.

BACKGROUND: Despite the successful eradication of smallpox by the WHO-led vaccination programme, pox virus infections remain a considerable health threat. The possible use of smallpox as a bioterrorism agent as well as the continuous occurrence of zoonotic pox virus infections document the relevance to deepen the understanding for virus host interactions. Since the permissiveness of pox infections is independent of hosts surface receptors, but correlates with the ability of the virus to infiltrate the antiviral host response, it directly depends on the hosts proteome set. In this report the proteome of HEK293 cells infected with Vaccinia Virus strain IHD-W was analyzed by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-PSD-TOF MS in a bottom-up approach. RESULTS: The cellular and viral proteomes of VACV IHD-W infected HEK293 cells, UV-inactivated VACV IHD-W-treated as well as non-infected cells were compared. Derivatization of peptides with 4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate (SPITC) carried out on ZipTipµ-C18 columns enabled protein identification via the peptides' primary sequence, providing improved s/n ratios as well as signal intensities of the PSD spectra. The expression of more than 24 human proteins was modulated by the viral infection. Effects of UV-inactivated and infectious viruses on the hosts' proteome concerning energy metabolism and proteins associated with gene expression and protein-biosynthesis were quite similar. These effects might therefore be attributed to virus entry and virion proteins. However, the modulation of proteins involved in apoptosis was clearly correlated to infectious viruses. CONCLUSIONS: The proteome analysis of infected cells provides insight into apoptosis modulation, regulation of cellular gene expression and the regulation of energy metabolism. The confidence of protein identifications was clearly improved by the peptides' derivatization with SPITC on a solid phase support. Some of the identified proteins have not been described in the context of poxvirus infections before and need to be further characterised to identify their meaning for apoptosis modulation and pathogenesis.

Mesenchymal stem cells restore lung function by recruiting resident and nonresident proteins.

Because human lungs are unlikely to repair or regenerate beyond the cellular level, cell therapy has not previously been considered for chronic irreversible obstructive lung diseases. To explore whether cell therapy can restore lung function, we administered allogenic intratracheal mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the trachea of rats with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a disease characterized by single or recurrent pulmonary thromboembolic obliteration and progressive pulmonary vascular remodeling. MSCs were retrieved only in high pressure-exposed lungs recruited via a homing stromal derived factor-1α/CXCR4 pathway. After MSC administration, a marked and long-lasting improvement of all clinical parameters and a significant change of the proteome level were detected. Beside a variation of liver proteome, such as caspase-3, NF-κB, collagen1A1, and α-SMA, we also identified more than 300 resident and nonresident lung proteins [e.g., myosin light chain 3 (P16409) or mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit alpha (P15999)]. These results suggest that cell therapy restores lung function and the therapeutic effects of MSCs may be related to protein-based tissue reconstituting effects.

IDENTIFICATION OF COENZYME Q10 FROM PORPHYRIDIUM PURPUREUM (RHODOPHYTA) BY MATRIX-ASSISTED LASER DESORPTION IONIZATION CURVED FIELD REFLECTRON MASS SPECTROMETRY1.

Antioxidant agents from natural sources are currently the focus of scientific interest and are part of several natural product screenings. Coenzymes Q (CoQ, ubiquinones) are integral parts of the electron transport chain of the inner mitochondrial membrane. As antioxidants they protect phospholipids against peroxidation and are also involved in various processes of tissue protection. Their natural occurrence was validated for Saccharomyces cerevisiae as CoQ6 , for Escherichia coli as CoQ8 , and for humans as CoQ10 . After carrying out a preparative reversed-phase (RP)-HPLC separation of extracts isolated from unicellular red alga Porphyridium purpureum (Bory) K. M. Drew et R. Ross, it was possible to identify a 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl-1,4-benzoquinone (CoQ10 ) within these extracts using a matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) curved field reflectron (CFR) mass spectrometer. Detected mass fragments showed a high significance and could be structurally interpreted for both commercialized standard and CoQ10 isolated from P. purpureum.

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometer for automated and robust polypeptide determination in body fluids for clinical use.

We describe the application of capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled on-line to an electrospray ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometer (ESI-TOF-MS) to the analysis of human urine and serum for the identification of biomarkers for clinical diagnostics. CE-MS led to display > 1000 polypeptides present in complex biological samples within 45-60 min in a single analysis run. To extract the information of the CE-MS spectra in a timely fashion, a software was designed to automatically deconvolute and normalize the spectra. Both urine and serum contain several hundred polypeptides in samples from healthy individuals. Hence, it is possible to establish typical "normal urine" or "normal serum" polypeptide patterns. Samples from patients with different diseases display polypeptide patterns that differ significantly from those obtained from healthy individuals. Examining series of patients with the same disease allowed the establishment of polypeptide patterns typical for specific diseases. This permits the search for marker peptides specific for diseases. The data indicate that a single polypeptide present in all patients with the same disease, but absent in all healthy control individuals does not exist. The combination of several polypeptides found in either urine or serum or both are forming a specific pattern, which is indicative not only for the particular disease, but also for the stage of disease. CE-MS detects many polypeptides in single samples and the application of the software to the search of identical polypeptides excreted in urine allows the unbiased diagnosis based on a pattern and does not rely on single disease markers.

Proteomic patterns established with capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry for diagnostic purposes.

BACKGROUND: Proteomics applied in large scale may provide a useful diagnostic tool. METHODS: We developed an online combination of capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry, allowing fast and sensitive evaluation of polypeptides found in body fluids. Utilizing this technology, polypeptide patterns from urine are established within 45 minutes. About 900 to 2500 polypeptides as well as their concentrations are detected in individual urine samples without the need for specific reagents such as antibodies. To test this method for clinical application, we examined spot urine samples from 57 healthy individuals, 16 patients with minimal change disease (MCD), 18 patients with membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN), and 10 patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). RESULTS: One-hundred seventy-three polypeptides were present in more than 90% of the urine samples obtained from healthy individuals, while 690 polypeptides were present with more than 50% probability. These data permitted the establishment of a "normal" polypeptide pattern in healthy individuals. Polypeptides found in the urine of patients differed significantly from the normal controls. These differences allowed the distinction of specific protein spectra in patients with different primary renal diseases. Abnormal pattern of proteins were found even in urine from patients in clinical remission. CONCLUSION: The data indicate that capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry coupling provides a promising tool that permits fast and accurate identification and differentiation of protein patterns in body fluids of healthy and diseased individuals, thus enabling diagnosis based on these patterns.

Parallel programming of gradient-based iterative image reconstruction schemes for optical tomography.

Optical tomography (OT) is a fast developing novel imaging modality that uses near-infrared (NIR) light to obtain cross-sectional views of optical properties inside the human body. A major challenge remains the time-consuming, computational-intensive image reconstruction problem that converts NIR transmission measurements into cross-sectional images. To increase the speed of iterative image reconstruction schemes that are commonly applied for OT, we have developed and implemented several parallel algorithms on a cluster of workstations. Static process distribution as well as dynamic load balancing schemes suitable for heterogeneous clusters and varying machine performances are introduced and tested. The resulting algorithms are shown to accelerate the reconstruction process to various degrees, substantially reducing the computation times for clinically relevant problems.

Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry to establish polypeptide patterns in dialysis fluids.

Combination of capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry (CE-MS) allows generation of polypeptide patterns of body fluids. In a single CE-MS (45 min) run more than 600 polypeptides were analyzed in hemodialysis fluids obtained with different membranes (high-flux/low-flux). Larger polypeptides (M(r) > 10 000) were almost exclusively present in high-flux dialysates only, while in low-flux dialysates additional small polypeptides were detected. Comparison to the normal urine pattern yielded a surprisingly low consensus: a number of polypeptides present in urine were missing. We established a fast and sensitive technique, easily applicable to the monitoring of different modalities of dialyzers.

Determination of peptides and proteins in human urine with capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry, a suitable tool for the establishment of new diagnostic markers.

The on-line coupling of capillary electrophoresis (CE) with electrospray-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) has been used to obtain patterns of peptides and proteins present in the urine of healthy human individuals. This led to the establishment of a "normal urine polypeptide pattern", consisting of 247 polypeptides, each of which was found in more than 50% of healthy individuals. Applying CE-MS to the analysis of urine of patients with kidney disease revealed differences in polypeptide pattern. Twenty-seven polypeptides were exclusively found in samples of patients. Another 13, present in controls, were missing. These data indicate that CE-MS can be applied as powerful tool in clinical diagnostics.