The trypanosomatid parasite Trypanosoma brucei synthesizes fatty acids in the mitochondrion using the type II fatty acid synthesis (FAS) machinery. When mitochondrial FAS was characterized in T. brucei, all of the enzymatic components were identified based on their homology to yeast mitochondrial FAS enzymes, except for 3-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase. Here we describe the characterization of T. brucei mitochondrial 3-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase (TbHTD2), which was identified by its similarity to the human mitochondrial dehydratase. TbHTD2 can rescue the respiratory deficient phenotype of the yeast knock-out strain and restore the lipoic acid content, is localized in the mitochondrion and exhibits hydratase 2 activity.
The four-step system for the treatment of traumatological patients contributes to earlier rehabilitation and shortens the time fo staying in hospitals. It also decreases the invalidism percentage.
Anaesthesiologists from Oslo University Hospital have transported patients with severe oxygenation failure with inhaled nitric oxide (usually 20?ppm) from other hospitals to a tertiary care centre since 2002 in an effort to reduce the number of patients that otherwise would require transport with ongoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patient safety during transport with inhaled nitric oxide.
All patient transports with ongoing nitric oxide treatment undertaken from 2003 to 2012 were identified in the transport database. The frequency of adverse events and their impact on patient safety were studied in addition to response to inhaled nitric oxide and adjusted intensive care treatment and time aspects of the transports. Information about in-hospital treatment and survival were extracted from the hospital patient records.
Adverse events were recorded in 12 of the 104 transports. Seven of the adverse events were due to malfunctioning technical equipment, three were related to medication other than the inhaled nitric oxide and two were related to ventilation. No adverse events resulted in permanent negative patient consequences or in discontinuation of the transport. Out of 104 patients, 79 responded to treatment with inhaled nitric oxide and other treatment changes by an increase in oxygen saturation of more than 5%. The 30-day mortality was 27% in the group transported with inhaled nitric oxide.
Transporting patients on inhaled nitric oxide is an alternative in selected patients who would otherwise require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during transport.
On July 14, 1980, at approximately 9:30 pm, a fire in the Extendicare Skilled Nursing Facility in Mississauga, Ontario, resulted in the deaths of 25 patients, most of them elderly. The area of origin of the accidental fire was a patient room on the top floor of the three-story, fire-resistive building. Significant factors that contributed to the fatalities in this fire were rapid fire development, the failure to extinguish the fire in its incipient stage, failure to keep the door to the room of origin closed, improper staff actions, and delayed alarm to the fire department.
Reta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies, UCL,1 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PJ, United Kingdom. Electronic address: m.selikhova@talk21.com.
We present a patient with progressive spastic ataxia, with dystonia and anarthria undiagnosed until detailed genetic analysis revealed an MPAN mutation. Highlighting the worldwide MPAN distribution, a 30year history of absent diagnosis and the impact and cost saving of an early but detailed genetic analysis in complex progressive movement disorders, particularly the anarthric NBIA group.
In 1930 adenosine triphosphate appeared in the literature from W. A. Engelhardt's work on avian erythrocytes. This was an early example of oxidative phosphorylation in intact cells, and it required methylene blue and oxygen. Both Belitser and I realized that the use of Warburg manometers for aeration was critical in order to generate oxidative phosphorylation of glucose in tissue preparations. Test tube techniques did not work. In 1956 we were able to describe a human type of diabetes called "galactose diabetes," in which consumption of human or cows' milk provokes mental retardation. Replacement of human or cows' milk products with "vegetable milk" formula in early infancy can prevent retardation. We determined that the disease results from a defect of galactose-one-phosphate uridylyl-transferase, a hereditary enzyme. This type of enzyme defect, if discovered and treated in early infancy, is a benign molecular disease. Regulation of transport systems in mammalian cell cultures are frequently complex energized systems. Perhaps my greatest surprise in this regard was the mere fact that an all-cis "odd" hexose-D-allose turned out to be a highly intense down-regulator of the hexose transport system. Additions of inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation (such as oligomycin or di-nitrophenol) arrested the allose-mediated down-regulation. We have reason to suspect that the strong down-regulator is a phosphorylated form of D-allose. Thus ends my story about oxidative energized biological phosphorylation systems.
