The ratio of morning cortisol to CRP prospectively predicts first-onset depression in at-risk adolescents.

RATIONALE: Early-onset adolescent depression is related to poor prognosis and a range of psychiatric and medical comorbidities later in life, making the identification of a priori risk factors for depression highly important. Increasingly, dysregulated levels of immune and neuroendocrine markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and cortisol, have been demonstrated as both precursors to and consequences of depression. However, longitudinal research with adolescent populations is limited and demonstrates mixed immuno-endocrine-depression links. OBJECTIVE: This study explored the putative bidirectional relationship between salivary measures of cortisol (Cort) and CRP, including the novel Cort:CRP ratio and depression. METHODS: Participants from the randomized control trial 'Sleep and Education: learning New Skills Early' (SENSE) Study were 122 adolescents at risk for depression (73 females) aged 12-16 years (M = 12.71 years, SD = 1.01 years) assessed at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and a two-year follow-up (T3). RESULTS: Logistic regression results demonstrated that adolescents with higher T1 Cort:CRPmorn ratio levels were two-fold more likely to develop a first-onset depressive disorder from T2 to T3 as compared to adolescents with lower Cort:CRPmorn ratio levels, ß = 0.73, t (36) = 2.15, p = .04, OR = 2.08. This effect was not moderated by treatment condition (ß = -1.38, t (13) = -1.33, p = .20) and did not change when controlling for known risk factors for depression, including sex, age, body-mass index, socio-economic status, T1 anxiety disorder, nor T1 sleep disturbance, anxiety, or depressive symptoms (ß = 0.91, t (31) = 2.14, p = .04). CONCLUSION: Results highlight potential immuno-endocrine dysregulation as an underlying risk factor for adolescent first-onset depression, and may inform the development of targeted, preventative biobehavioral treatment strategies for youth depression.

Mental Health screening in cystic fibrosis centres across Europe.

OBJECTIVES: The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) International Mental Health Guidelines Committee published consensus statements for screening and treating depression and anxiety in individuals with CF and their caregivers. This work aimed to evaluate the dissemination and implementation of the guidelines in Europe two years following their publication. METHODS: A 28-item survey was developed by the multidisciplinary ECFS Mental Health Working Group and emailed to approximately 300 CF centres across Europe. The survey evaluated (a) who should be responsible for mental health (MH) care, (b) the current awareness and agreement of the guidelines, (c) the provision of recommended MH screening and follow-up care, and (d) successes, barriers and required resources/training needs. RESULTS: Responses were received from 187 centres (28 countries represented). There was consensus that a psychologist should be responsible for MH care, although members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) believed they should also share this responsibility. Sixty-two percent of respondents were aware of the guidelines; 82% percent fully, and 12% partially, agreed with them. Fifty percent (94 centres) had implemented screening. In the past year approximately 6000 patients and 2000 caregivers had been screened, with 80% of respondents using the recommended screening tools. Respondents reported 551 referrals for moderate/severe psychopathology and 84 urgent suicide ideation referrals. CONCLUSIONS: The challenges of different healthcare systems and language barriers are being overcome with a greater awareness of the importance of mental health among the MDT. MH screening is feasible and gaining momentum in both Western and Eastern Europe.

Salivary C-reactive protein among at-risk adolescents: A methods investigation of out of range immunoassay data.

Inflammatory markers including C-Reactive Protein (CRP) are increasingly used within research and clinical settings. Yet, varying methodologies for cleaning immunoassay data with out of range (OOR) samples may alter characteristic levels of CRP, thereby obscuring interpretation and reliability. This study investigated the influence of eight immunoassay OOR data treatment techniques on salivary CRP (sCRP) samples from at-risk adolescents. Participants from the 'Sleep and Education: learning New Skills Early' (SENSE) Study were 86 adolescents at-risk for depression (50 female), aged 14.29 years (SD = 1.04). ANOVA results showed no statistically significant differences in average morning (F(7, 590) = 1.24, p = .28) and evening (F(7, 599)=1.29, p = .25) values produced by each OOR data cleaning technique. However, varying techniques produced differences in the magnitude of Pearson's correlations between consecutive saliva samples (r's between 0.27-0.78), and influenced the significance of a sCRP diurnal pattern; two techniques produced statistically higher morning than evening sCRP levels (t(85) = 2.70, p = .01 and t(85) = 2.67, p = .01), whereas six techniques failed to find statistical differences between morning and evening sCRP levels (p's >.05). Varying techniques also produced statistically divergent associations between sCRP and age and depressive symptoms. Results from this study provide evidence for the temporal stability of sCRP among adolescents, show winsorization as an effective OOR data management technique, and highlight the influence of methodological decisions in cleaning salivary biomarker data and the need for consistency within the field.

Absorption spectroscopy of three-dimensional bacteriorhodopsin crystals at cryogenic temperatures: effects of altered hydration.

A comparative study of absorption spectroscopy at 100 K has been performed on three-dimensional crystals of bacteriorhodopsin extracted from a lipidic cubic phase and on native purple membrane. A modified microspectrophotometer has been designed which yields absorption data with a high signal-to-noise ratio and remarkable reproducibility. Excellent agreement of the absorption spectra of the three-dimensional crystals and the purple membrane is observed provided that a rigorous crystal-handling procedure is followed. This result supports the equivalence of the protein structure in both the cubic phase crystals and the native purple membrane. On the other hand, it is shown that dramatic deviations of the crystal spectrum can be induced by minor changes in the extraction method. Exposure to air at room temperature can lead within a short time to an irreversible dehydration manifested by a distinct species with an absorption maximum at 500 nm. Exposure of the crystals to a buffer with lower ionic strength than the crystallization solution produces a different spectral form with an absorption maximum at 477 nm, which was assigned to a distorted protein conformation induced by osmotic stress. The extreme sensitivity of these crystals to experimental conditions is relevant for X-ray structural studies, in particular as different experimental treatments are implemented to trap the intermediates of the protein's photocycle.

Transurethral incision of ureteroneocystostomy strictures in kidney transplant recipients.

OBJECTIVES: To report the treatment of patients who presented with vesico-ureteric stricture after kidney transplantation, using a minimally invasive endourological approach. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients (10 men and four women, mean age 34 years, range 22-55) were assessed at presentation by serum creatinine level, ultrasonography and intravenous pyelography when the serum creatinine level was < 200 micromol/L. When there was hydronephrosis of the allograft a percutaneous antegrade pyelogram was taken, followed by inserting a nephrostomy. After decompression a stent nephrostomy was passed into the bladder and the strictures at the vesico-ureteric junction incised along the stent during cystoscopy. RESULTS: All 14 patients were treated endourologically by an endoscopic incision through the bladder; 13 fared well and one died from sepsis and transplantation problems. The mean follow-up was 8 months. CONCLUSIONS: Simple incision of the stricture via cystoscopy was safe and effective, and succeeded in most patients. The endourological management of ureteric lesions is feasible and is currently our first-line management of ureteric complications after kidney transplantation.

The incidence and causes of erectile dysfunction after pelvic fractures associated with posterior urethral disruption.

PURPOSE: Erectile dysfunction is a common sequel of pelvic fractures, particularly those associated with posterior urethral injury when it can be neurogenic or arteriogenic due to damage to the cavernous nerves or branches of the pudendal arteries. We studied erectile function of patients with posterior urethral injuries due to pelvic fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients referred for posterior urethral reconstruction and strictures due to pelvic fractures were evaluated before reconstruction. All patients underwent nocturnal penile tumescence testing, and if those results were abnormal, penile duplex ultrasound with intracavernous injection was performed. Patients with normal vascular function on duplex ultrasound were diagnosed with neurogenic erectile dysfunction. Those patients with abnormal arterial function on duplex ultrasound underwent arteriography to further define the extent and location of arterial damage. RESULTS: The study included 25 consecutive patients with posterior urethral strictures and a mean age of 28.6 years. Of the patients 18 (72%) had erectile dysfunction as demonstrated by nocturnal penile tumescence and all underwent penile duplex ultrasound. Ultrasound confirmed normal vascular response in 13 of the 18 patients and they were diagnosed with probable neurogenic erectile dysfunction. The remaining 5 patients (28%) with erectile dysfunction had an abnormal arterial response, and significant arterial pathology was confirmed by arteriography. CONCLUSIONS: Erectile dysfunction is common in patients with pelvic fractures associated with urethral injury. We believe that erectile function should be assessed and documented in such patients before attempting urethroplasty. In the majority of these patients erectile dysfunction is caused by disruption of the cavernous nerves with sparing of arterial inflow.

Is the pediatric ureter as efficient as the adult ureter in transporting fragments following extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for renal calculi larger than 10 mm.?

PURPOSE: We determined whether the thin ureter of the young child transports stone fragments after extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) as efficiently as the adult ureter does. This determination was done by comparing the outcome after lithotripsy of renal stones greater than 10 mm. between young children and adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study group consisted of 38 children 6 months to 6 years old (median 3 years) with renal stones greater than 10 mm. in diameter. This group was further divided into 3 subgroups according to the longest stone diameter on plain abdominal film. There were 21 children with a renal stone diameter of 10 to 15 mm. (subgroup 1), 8, 16 to 20 mm. (subgroup 2) and 9 greater than 20 mm. (subgroup 3). The control group consisted of 38 adults older than 20 years randomly selected from the local ESWL registry. Each adult was matched with a child regarding stone diameter and localization. The control group was similarly divided into subgroups 1a, 2a and 3a. ESWL was performed with the unmodified Dornier HM-3 lithotriptor (Dornier Medical Systems, Inc., Marietta, Georgia). The stone-free rate, complication rate, and need for tubes, including stent or nephrostomy, and greater than 1 ESWL session were compared. RESULTS: The stone-free rate was 95% in the study and 78.9% in the control group (p = 0.086). Stone-free rates were 95%, 100% and 89% in subgroups 1, 2 and 3, and 95%, 65% and 56% in subgroups 1a, 2a and 3a, respectively. There were 10 children and 4 adults who underwent greater than 1 ESWL session (p = 0.14). Then there were 10 children and 6 adults who required a tube before ESWL (p = 0.04), and almost all of them were included in subgroups 3 and 3a. Early complications were rare in both the study and control groups. Late complications had included 2 cases of Steinstrasse in the control and none in the study group. CONCLUSIONS: The stone-free rate after ESWL for large renal stones is higher in young children compared to adults with matching stone size. Renal stones greater than 20 mm. often require more than 1 ESWL session. The pediatric ureter is at least as efficient as the adult for transporting stone fragments after ESWL.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase regulates early phosphorylation and delayed expression of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in long-term potentiation.

Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) are required for numerous forms of neuronal plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP). We induced LTP in rat hippocampal area CA1 using theta-pulse stimulation (TPS) paired with beta-adrenergic receptor activation [isoproterenol (ISO)], a protocol that may be particularly relevant to normal patterns of hippocampal activity during learning. This stimulation resulted in a transient phosphorylation of p42 MAPK, and the resulting LTP was MAPK dependent. In addition, CaMKII was regulated in two, temporally distinct ways after TPS-ISO: a transient rise in the fraction of phosphorylated CaMKII and a subsequent persistent increase in CaMKII expression. The increases in MAPK and CaMKII phosphorylation were strongly colocalized in the dendrites and cell bodies of CA1 pyramidal cells, and both the transient phosphorylation and delayed expression of CaMKII were prevented by inhibiting p42/p44 MAPK. These results establish a novel bimodal regulation of CaMKII by MAPK, which may contribute to both post-translational modification and increased gene expression.

Molecular mechanism for the crystallization of bacteriorhodopsin in lipidic cubic phases.

Crystals of transmembrane proteins may be grown from detergent solutions or in a matrix of membranous lipid bilayers existing in a liquid crystalline state and forming a cubic phase (in cubo). While crystallization in micellar solutions appears analogous to that for soluble proteins, crystallization in lipidic matrices is poorly understood. As this method was shown to be applicable to several membrane proteins, understanding its mechanism will facilitate a rational design of crystallization, minimizing the laborious screening of a large number of parameters. Using polarization microscopy and low-angle X-ray diffraction, experimental evidence is provided to support a mechanistic model for the in cubo crystallization of bacteriorhodopsin in a lipid matrix. Membrane proteins are thought to reside in curved lipid bilayers, to diffuse into patches of lower curvature and to incorporate into lattices which associate to form highly ordered three-dimensional crystals. Critical testing of this model is necessary to generalize it to other membrane proteins.

X-ray structure of sensory rhodopsin II at 2.1-A resolution.

Sensory rhodopsins (SRs) belong to a subfamily of heptahelical transmembrane proteins containing a retinal chromophore. These photoreceptors mediate the cascade of vision in animal eyes and phototaxis in archaebacteria and unicellular flagellated algae. Signal transduction by these photoreceptors occurs by means of transducer proteins. The two archaebacterial sensory rhodopsins SRI and SRII are coupled to the membrane-bound HtrI and HtrII transducer proteins. Activation of these proteins initiates phosphorylation cascades that modulate the flagellar motors, resulting in either attractant (SRI) or repellent (SRII) phototaxis. In addition, transducer-free SRI and SRII were shown to operate as proton pumps, analogous to bacteriorhodopsin. Here, we present the x-ray structure of SRII from Natronobacterium pharaonis (pSRII) at 2.1-A resolution, revealing a unique molecular architecture of the retinal-binding pocket. In particular, the structure of pSRII exhibits a largely unbent conformation of the retinal (as compared with bacteriorhodopsin and halorhodopsin), a hydroxyl group of Thr-204 in the vicinity of the Schiff base, and an outward orientation of the guanidinium group of Arg-72. Furthermore, the structure reveals a putative chloride ion that is coupled to the Schiff base by means of a hydrogen-bond network and a unique, positively charged surface patch for a probable interaction with HtrII. The high-resolution structure of pSRII provides a structural basis to elucidate the mechanisms of phototransduction and color tuning.

Renal cell carcinoma: evaluation of the 1997 TNM system and recommendations for follow-up after surgery.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the tumor recurrence pattern after radical or nephron-sparing surgery for localized renal cell carcinoma. Based on this pattern, we suggest a surveillance protocol after surgery. METHODS: The outcome of 200 consecutive patients with localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) that were operated on between January 1982 and December 1997 was evaluated retrospectively. Radical nephrectomy was performed in 155 patients (77.5%), and nephron-sparing surgery in 45 patients (22.5%). The timing and site of disease recurrence were correlated with parameters of the primary tumor. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-four patients (62%) had pathological stage T1, 26 (13%) had stage T2, and 50 (25%) had stage T3 (41 stage T3a, 8 stage T3b, and 1 stage T3c). The mean follow-up was 47 months (range 6--169 months). Four patients (3.2%) with stage T1, 6 patients (23%) with T2, and 13 patients (26%) with T3 developed recurrent disease. None of the patients with a stage T1 tumor, smaller than 4 cm, had tumor recurrence. There were no recurrences after nephron-sparing surgery compared to 23 recurrences (14.8%) among patients after radical nephrectomy (p = 0.01). Only 1 patient who underwent pulmonary lobectomy for asymptomatic metastases smaller than 2.5 cm, found by routine chest CT, attained long-term survival. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of patients after radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma, smaller than 4 cm, is excellent and they do not need radiological follow-up. Patients with larger T1 tumors, 4--7 cm in diameter, or a higher stage should be followed with CT of the chest and abdomen done every 6 months for 5 years and then annually. Following partial nephrectomy of small renal tumors periodic renal ultrasonography should be done to rule out local recurrence in the operated kidney.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is highly effective for ureteral calculi in children.

PURPOSE: Treatment of ureteral calculi in the pediatric population represents a unique challenge. Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL*) and ureteroscopy have been advocated for the treatment of such stones. We present our experience with ESWL monotherapy for ureteral stones in children in the last decade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1989 and 1999 we treated 21 boys and 17 girls with a mean age of 8 years (range 8 months to 14 years) with ureteral stones at our institution. Records were reviewed and analyzed for presentation, metabolic and anatomical anomalies, stone size and location, outcome and complications. Average stone size was 9.5 x 6.5 mm. (range 3 to 32). Stones were in the upper ureter in 17 cases, mid ureter in 2 and lower ureter in 19. All patients underwent ESWL with a Dornier HM3 lithotriptor under general anesthesia. Nephrostomies were placed in an anuric infant with bilateral ureteral obstruction and in 2 patients with nonfunctioning kidneys (4 renal units). Ureteral catheters were used in 15 patients for better identification and localization of the stone during ESWL. The catheters were removed immediately postoperatively. RESULTS: Of the patients 31 (81.5%) were free of stones after 1 session of ESWL, 5 (13.1%) after 2 and 1 after 3. One patient underwent ureteroscopy for residual fragments after 2 ESWL sessions. The stone-free rate following 1 ESWL session was 100% for ureteral calculi 10 mm. or smaller regardless of location. Of the 12 patients with stones larger than 10 mm. 8 (67%) were free of stones following 1 ESWL session. The overall success rate of ESWL was 97.3%. No child had postoperative urinary infection or ureteral obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: ESWL is an efficient and safe modality for the treatment of pediatric ureteral stones.

Spectroscopic characterization of bacteriorhodopsin's L-intermediate in 3D crystals cooled to 170 K.

Spectra are presented from a single 3D microcrystal of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) cooled to 170 K under various illumination conditions. This set is necessary and sufficient to assign the relevant crystal reference spectra. A spectral decomposition of the difference spectrum obtained following the trapping protocol of Royant et al. (2000) (Nature 406, 645-648) is given, confirming that the low temperature L-intermediate was the species that dominated the structural rearrangements previously reported. Smaller contributions from the K and M spectral intermediates are also quantified. Mechanistic insights derived from the X-ray structures of the early bR intermediates are discussed.

[Penile prosthesis for erectile dysfunction--long-term follow-up].

Our armamentarium for the treatment of erectile dysfunction has recently been expanded by addition of Viagra and the MUSE. However, their long-term results are still unknown. The insertion of a penile prosthesis is invasive, expensive, and irreversible, but under optimal condition provides an acceptable, definitive solution for erectile dysfunction. We evaluated our long-term results with penile prosthesis insertion (PPI). From 1987-1998, 57 patients underwent PPI in our department. Mean age was 55 years and the common causes of erectile dysfunction were atherosclerotic disease (23), radical pelvic surgery (15), and diabetes mellitus (14). Semirigid prostheses were inserted in 12 and inflatable prostheses in 45, including 42 single-component and 3 multi-component prostheses. Recently we interviewed these patients by telephone, using a standard questionnaire. Those not satisfied with the surgical results (83% of the living patients) were examined in our clinic. Mean follow-up was 53 months. In 37 (84%) the prosthesis was mechanically functional (rates after 1, 5 and 10 years were 87.8%, 80%, and 75%, respectively). In only 2 (2.5%) had serious complications led to prosthesis removal. All mechanical failures had occurred in those with inflatable prostheses after a mean of 48.5 months (range 4-113). At the time of the survey 68% were sexually active and 64% were satisfied with the surgical result. We conclude that PPI is safe treatment for erectile dysfunction. Although the rate of mechanically functioning prostheses decreases with time, modern multi-component prostheses may lead to better mechanical results.

Long-term potentiation induced by theta frequency stimulation is regulated by a protein phosphatase-1-operated gate.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) can be induced in the Schaffer collateral-->CA1 synapse of hippocampus by stimulation in the theta frequency range (5-12 Hz), an effect that depends on activation of the cAMP pathway. We investigated the mechanisms of the cAMP contribution to this form of LTP in the rat hippocampal slice preparation. theta pulse stimulation (TPS; 150 stimuli at 10 Hz) by itself did not induce LTP, but the addition of either the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol or the cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP) enabled TPS-induced LTP. The isoproterenol effect was blocked by postsynaptic inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Several lines of evidence indicated that cAMP enabled LTP by blocking postsynaptic protein phosphatase-1 (PP1). Activators of the cAMP pathway reduced PP1 activity in the CA1 region and increased the active form of inhibitor-1, an endogenous inhibitor of PP1. Postsynaptic injection of activated inhibitor-1 mimicked the LTP-enabling effect of cAMP pathway stimulation. TPS evoked complex spiking when isoproterenol was present. However, complex spiking was not sufficient to enable TPS-induced LTP, which additionally required the inhibition of postsynaptic PP1. PP1 inhibition seems to promote the activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMKII), because (1) a CaMKII inhibitor blocked the induction of LTP by TPS paired with either isoproterenol or activated inhibitor-1 and (2) CaMKII in area CA1 was activated by the combination of TPS and 8-Br-cAMP but not by either stimulus alone. These results indicate that the cAMP pathway enables TPS-induced LTP by inhibiting PP1, thereby enhancing Ca(2+)-independent CaMKII activity.

Lipidic cubic phase crystallization of bacteriorhodopsin and cryotrapping of intermediates: towards resolving a revolving photocycle.

Bacteriorhodopsin is a small retinal protein found in the membrane of the halophilic bacterium Halobacterium salinarum, whose function is to pump protons across the cell membrane against an electrostatic potential, thus converting light into a proton-motive potential needed for the synthesis of ATP. Because of its relative simplicity, exceptional stability and the fundamental importance of vectorial proton pumping, bacteriorhodopsin has become one of the most important model systems in the field of bioenergetics. Recently, a novel methodology to obtain well-diffracting crystals of membrane proteins, utilizing membrane-like bicontinuous lipidic cubic phases, has been introduced, providing X-ray structures of bacteriorhodopsin and its photocycle intermediates at ever higher resolution. We describe this methodology, the new insights provided by the higher resolution ground state structures, and review the mechanistic implications of the structural intermediates reported to date. A detailed understanding of the mechanism of vectorial proton transport across the membrane is thus emerging, helping to elucidate a number of fundamental issues in bioenergetics.

Helix deformation is coupled to vectorial proton transport in the photocycle of bacteriorhodopsin.

A wide variety of mechanisms are used to generate a proton-motive potential across cell membranes, a function lying at the heart of bioenergetics. Bacteriorhodopsin, the simplest known proton pump, provides a paradigm for understanding this process. Here we report, at 2.1 A resolution, the structural changes in bacteriorhodopsin immediately preceding the primary proton transfer event in its photocycle. The early structural rearrangements propagate from the protein's core towards the extracellular surface, disrupting the network of hydrogen-bonded water molecules that stabilizes helix C in the ground state. Concomitantly, a bend of this helix enables the negatively charged primary proton acceptor, Asp 85, to approach closer to the positively charged primary proton donor, the Schiff base. The primary proton transfer event would then neutralize these two groups, cancelling their electrostatic attraction and facilitating a relaxation of helix C to a less strained geometry. Reprotonation of the Schiff base by Asp 85 would thereby be impeded, ensuring vectorial proton transport. Structural rearrangements also occur near the protein's surface, aiding proton release to the extracellular medium.

Human figure drawings in the evaluation of severe adolescent suicidal behavior.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability of using certain indicators derived from human figure drawings to distinguish between suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents. METHOD: Ninety consecutive admissions to an adolescent inpatient unit were assessed. Thirty-nine patients were admitted because of suicidal behavior and 51 for other reasons. All subjects were given the Human Figure Drawing (HFD) test. HFD was evaluated according to the method of Pfeffer and Richman, and the degree of suicidal behavior was rated by the Child Suicide Potential Scale. RESULTS: The internal reliability was satisfactory. HFD indicators correlated significantly with quantitative measures of suicidal behavior; of these indicators specifically, overall impression of the evaluator enabled the prediction of suicidal behavior and the distinction between suicidal and nonsuicidal inpatients (p < .001). A group of graphic indicators derived from a discriminant analysis formed a function, which was able to identify 84.6% of the suicidal and 76.6% of the nonsuicidal adolescents correctly. Many of the items had a regressive quality. CONCLUSIONS: The HFD is an example of a simple projective test that may have empirical reliability. It may be useful for the assessment of severe suicidal behavior in adolescents.

Crystallization in cubo: general applicability to membrane proteins.

Obtaining well ordered crystals of membrane proteins is the single most serious stumbling block in the pursuit of their high-resolution structures. The applicability of lipidic cubic phase-mediated crystallization is demonstrated on a diverse set of bacterial membrane proteins: two photosynthetic reaction centres, a light-harvesting complex and two retinal proteins, halorhodopsin and bacteriorhodopsin. Despite marked differences in molecular dimensions, subunit composition and membrane origin, one single lipid, monoolein, is sufficient to form a crystallization matrix for all the aforementioned systems. Therefore, the lipidic cubic phase approach is proposed as a general method for crystallizing membrane proteins.