Extrapulmonary tuberculosis has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Involvement of the thyroid gland has rarely been reported. We report a case in a patient with a non-tender swelling of the thyroid, whose symptoms, sonographic and scintigraphic features mimicked carcinoma. Initially the patient presented with back pain due to a paravertebral mass. Fine needle aspiration and culture of the aspirate both from the paravertebral mass and the thyroid ensured the diagnosis. Although seldom observed, tuberculosis should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of nodular lesions of the thyroid. The preponderant absence of thyroid dysfunction in mycobacterial thyroiditis is confirmed by this case.

Abscess↗

PubMedDate not supplied

High plasma levels of nitrogen oxides are associated with severe disease and correlate with rapid parasitological and clinical cure in Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

Plasma levels of nitrogen oxide (NO), neopterin and C-reactive protein (CRP) were compared in 3 groups of Gabonese patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria before and after therapy: adults with uncomplicated malaria, children with uncomplicated malaria, and children with severe malaria. Plasma levels of all 3 molecules were significantly higher in severe malaria than in uncomplicated malaria. High levels of neopterin and CRP during the acute phase of malaria significantly correlated with slow parasitological and clinical cure after therapy. In contrast, high NO plasma levels during the acute phase of malaria predicted accelerated cure. These findings provide further evidence for the protective role of NO in malaria. However, as NO levels were highest in severe disease, overproduction may be harmful for the patients.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Designing recombinant spider silk proteins to control assembly.

The consensus repeat sequence found in the dragline silk from the spider, Nephila clavipes, was redesigned to incorporate a redox trigger flanking the beta-sheet forming polyalanine sequences. The methionine redox trigger, in the oxidized state, was incorporated to prevent the formation of the beta sheets, while in the reduced state would not result in sterical limitations to beta sheet formation. A synthetic gene incorporating the trigger was constructed, cloned and then expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified protein, about 25 kDa, contained the expected amino acid composition and migration behavior on SDS-PAGE. The recombinant protein was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, TEM, electron diffraction and circular dichroism in both oxidized and reduced states. Based on the results, the incorporation of a redox trigger appears to be a powerful experimental strategy to explore the self-assembly of fibrous proteins such as silks.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Automated centrifuge for pour resins.

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Centrifugation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological aspects of treating complete denture patients: their relation to prosthodontic success.

Denture failures in the elderly are multifactorial. Such failures are rarely the result of technical or mechanical faults alone and are seldom corrected by remaking the denture. The dentist is in a position to reduce the number of prosthetic failures through the application of knowledge of the physical, metabolic, and endocrine changes associated with aging, as well as the emotional disturbances and nutritional deficiencies common among the aged.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The scleroderma patient.

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Dental Care↗