Jejuno-ileal diverticulosis : a review of literature.

Jejunal diverticulosis is a rare entity with variable clinical and anatomical presentations. The majority of cases are discovered incidentally during radiological investigations. Based on a case of a 77 year old woman with jejunal diverticulitis, the current literature about small bowel diverticulosis is reviewed. A jejunoileal diverticulum is usually uncomplicated and can be treated conservatively. Serious complications that require surgery can occur. Abdominal CT is the preferred diagnostic tool.

Papuloerythroderma of Ofuji: a report of 2 cases including the first European case associated with visceral carcinoma.

Papuloerythroderma (PE) is a rare type of erythroderma of the elderly which results from the coalescence of sheets of papules that spare skin folds, with peripheral eosinophilia in most cases. Skin biopsy shows a nonspecific eczematous pattern with a mature T cell lymphocytic and eosinophilic infiltrate with Langerhans cells in the dermis. We report 2 cases of PE. The 1st case, in which no underlying malignancy could be found, responded partially to oral etretinate, topical steroid creams and tar derivates. The 2nd case did not respond to high-dose oral steroids and was associated with adenocarcinoma of the colon, with a fatal outcome. PE has been associated with lymphoma and carcinoma. We report the first European case of PE associated with visceral carcinoma and review the cases reported in the western literature.

Signal transduction of adipokinetic hormones involves Ca2+ fluxes and depends on extracellular Ca2+ to potentiate cAMP-induced activation of glycogen phosphorylase.

Adipokinetic hormone (AKH)-induced mobilization of insect fat body glycogen occurs through activation of glycogen phosphorylase. In the migratory locust, signal transduction of AKH-I, -II and -III has been shown to involve the formation of cAMP. In the present study, we show that both the elevation of fat body cAMP levels and the activation of phosphorylase by the three AKHs in vitro depend on the presence of extracellular Ca2+; in the absence of Ca2+ in the medium, no phosphorylase activation occurs, whereas a concentration of at least 1.5 mM Ca2+ in the medium is required for maximal activation by each of the hormones. Furthermore, we show that AKH-I, -II and -III increase the influx of extracellular calcium into the fat body, as well as the efflux of cytosolic calcium from the fat body into the medium within 1 min of incubation. Although the time courses of their effects and the maximal responses to massive doses (40 nM) of the three hormones do not differ, AKH-III induces the highest increase in Ca2+ efflux when applied in a physiological dose (4 nM). No difference in the levels of Ca2+ influx induced by 4 nM of the hormones was observed. Quantitative analysis of the data suggests that the AKH-induced influx is larger than the efflux, implying a net rise in the fat body Ca2+ concentration.

Investigation in healthy volunteers to evaluate serum concentrations and urinary excretions of aluminium, magnesium, calcium and phosphate after multiple administration of hydrotalcit (Talcid) suspension.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of aluminium absorption after repeated administration of Talcid suspension. Therefore, the serum concentrations of aluminium and the amount of urinary excreted aluminium were determined. Furthermore, the influence of repeated Talcid administration on serum concentrations and urinary excretion of magnesium, calcium and phosphate was studied. The trial was carried out as a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled investigation in 17 healthy male volunteers and 1 female volunteer, aged between 18-34 years.

Determination of biocatalyst consumption in an aminopeptidase process using automated sample preparation and high-performance liquid chromatography.

A rapid and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of the biocatalyst consumption in the chemo-enzymic production of optically pure natural and synthetic alpha-H-amino acids. It is based on automated sample preparation from an enzymic reaction mixture, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation, post-column reaction and fluorimetric detection. The assay procedure has been applied to the enzymic conversion of racemic norvaline amide into L-norvaline, catalysed by an L-specific aminopeptidase from Pseudomonas putida. Both norvaline amide and norvaline can be analysed in a single assay in the low nanogram range. The method yields reproducible results and requires 30 min from the time of sampling the enzymic reaction mixture to quantitation. The reaction mixture is automatically sampled and analysed several times during the course of the reaction. With the results obtained a conversion curve can be constructed from which the exact biocatalyst consumption can be calculated. By adaptation of the mobile phase, the method can also be applied to other amino acid amides used as substrates in the aminopeptidase reaction.