FLEx appears to be a safe and promising corneal refractive procedure for correcting myopia.

No abstract

MR arthrography is accurate in the detection of pulley lesions; the displacement sign, nonvisibility or discontinuity of the SGHL, and tendinopathy of the LHBT on oblique sagittal images are the most accurate criteria for the detection of pulley lesions.

The MILOS technique allows minimally invasive transhernial repair of incisional hernias using large retromuscular/preperitoneal meshes with low morbidity. The technique combines the advantages of open sublay and the laparoscopic IPOM repair.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03133000.

Kallikreins play an important role in tumour microenvironment and as cancer biomarkers in different cancer entities. Previous studies suggested an upregulation of KLK10 and KLK6 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Therefore, we evaluated the clinicopathological role of these kallikreins and their value as biomarkers in PDAC. Differential expression was validated by DNA-microarrays and immunohistochemistry in normal and malignant pancreatic tissues. Sera concentrations of both kallikreins were evaluated using ELISA. In silico analysis of possible protein interactions and gene silencing of KLK10 in vitro using siRNAs gave further insights in the pathomechanisms. Gene expression analysis and immunohistochemistry demonstrated a strong expression for KLK10 and KLK6 in PDAC. Statistical analysis showed that co-expression of these kallikreins correlated with an R1-resection status (P ¼ 0.017) and worse outcome for overall survival (P ¼ 0.031). Multivariate analysis proofed that co-expression is an independent prognostic factor for survival (P ¼ 0.043). Importantly, KLK10 knockdown in AsPC-1 cells significantly reduced cell migration, whereas computational analysis suggested interaction of KLK6 with angiogenetic factors as an important mechanism. Co-expression of KLK10 and KLK6 plays an unfavourable role in PDAC. Our results suggest that this effect is likely mediated by an interaction with the factors of the extracellular matrix and enhancement of cancer cell motility.

No abstract

Pyrimidines are particularly important in dividing tissues as building blocks for nucleic acids, but they are equally important for many biochemical processes, including sucrose and cell wall polysaccharide metabolism. In recent years, the molecular organization of nucleotide biosynthesis in plants has been analyzed. Here, we present a functional analysis of the pyrimidine de novo synthesis pathway. Each step in the pathway was investigated using transgenic plants with reduced expression of the corresponding gene to identify controlling steps and gain insights into the phenotypic and metabolic consequences. Inhibition of expression of 80% based on steady-state mRNA level did not lead to visible phenotypes. Stepwise reduction of protein abundance of Asp transcarbamoylase or dihydro orotase resulted in a corresponding inhibition of growth. This was not accompanied by pleiotropic effects or by changes in the developmental program. A more detailed metabolite analysis revealed slightly different responses in roots and shoots of plants with decreased abundance of proteins involved in pyrimidine de novo synthesis. Whereas in leaves the nucleotide and amino acid levels were changed only in the very strong inhibited plants, the roots show a transient increase of these metabolites in intermediate plants followed by a decrease in the strong inhibited plants. Growth analysis revealed that elongation rates and number of organs per plant were reduced, without large changes in the average cell size. It is concluded that reduced pyrimidine de novo synthesis is compensated for by reduction in growth rates, and the remaining nucleotide pools are sufficient for running basic metabolic processes.Pyrimidine nucleotides are abundant molecules with essential functions in a multitude of biochemical processes. They are of particular importance in dividing and elongating tissues as building blocks for nucleic acid biosynthesis. In addition, as an energy source or precursors for the synthesis of primary and secondary products, they are participants in various metabolic processes. In particular, the pyrimidine nucleotides are directly involved in plant carbohydrate metabolism providing the energy-rich precursor UDP-Glc for many synthetic reactions, such as Suc and cell wall biosyntheses.In recent years, the basic processes of plant nucleotide de novo synthesis have been analyzed in some detail (Giermann et al., 2002;Moffatt and Ashihara, 2002;Boldt and Zrenner, 2003;Stasolla et al., 2003;Kafer et al., 2004). Plants utilize the same reactions as those found in other organisms. The so-called orotate pathway of pyrimidine de novo synthesis is defined as the formation of UMP from carbamoyl phosphate, Asp, and phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate. The pathway consists of the six enzymatic reactions as shown in Figure 1. The first reaction is conducted by the Gln hydrolyzing carbamoyl phosphate synthase. This enzyme is not unique to the pyrimidine pathway but is also involved in Arg biosynthesis. It is composed of two different subunits (carbamoyl phosp...

Three patients suffering from gustatory sweating following trauma to the preauricular region from a bullet wound or parotid gland surgery were treated by intracutaneous injection of botulinum toxin A. Within 2 weeks, gustatory sweating in the area injected completely ceased in all patients with no side-effects. The efficacy of treatment was confirmed by repeated Minor's iodine starch tests. So far, sweating has not recurred during a follow-up period of up to 8 months. Botulinum toxin appears to be a promising new drug for the treatment of this autonomic disorder.