No abstract

Heat treatment reduced the allergenicity of beta-lactoglobulin by inducing conformational changes and by increasing its susceptibility to enzymatic digestion, both of which disrupted B cell epitopes, whereas heat treatment alone did not alter the allergenicity of alpha-casein.

No abstract

We performed reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the rabbit using a free bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) graft and evaluated nerve regeneration in the graft. The right ACL of 15 Japanese white rabbits was resected and reconstructed using a BTB graft. The BTB and ACL from the contralateral knee served as controls. The graft and control BTB were collected at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the operation. We measured the number of mechanoreceptors in the ligaments using a modified gold chloride method. In the control patellar tendon, mechanoreceptors were present in all the samples. At 2 weeks after the operation, mechanoreceptors were not observed in the reconstructed ligaments. They were observed at 4 weeks but in lower numbers than in the control knees. At 8 weeks, the total number of mechanoreceptors did not differ significantly in the reconstructed and control tendons. The appearance of mechanoreceptors in the graft between 2 and 4 weeks postoperatively suggests that regeneration of mechanoreceptors occurred during this time period. At 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, there was no significant difference in the number of mechanoreceptors between the intra-articular portion of grafted tendon and the contralateral ACL. The further increase between 4 and 8 weeks to control levels suggests that this regeneration may restore mechanoreceptors in BTB grafts to normal levels.

Lysosomal glycogen storage disease with normal acid maltase (Danon) is caused by primary lysosome-associated membrane protein-2 (LAMP-2) deficiency. Typically, the disease begins after the first decade; however, two infantile patients had similar histologic features. The infantile disorder is distinct from Danon disease, because, in both infants, LAMP-2 protein is present in skeletal muscle. Deposition of C5b-9 and multilayered basal lamina in one patient suggest that the infantile disease is pathogenically similar to X-linked myopathy with excessive autophagy.