MAM-14

Intracellular organelles are highly dynamic structures with varying shape and composition, which are subjected to cell-specific intrinsic and extrinsic cues. Their membranes are often juxtaposed at defined contact sites, which become hubs for the exchange of signaling molecules and membrane components(1,2,3,4). The inter-organellar membrane microdomains that are formed between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the mitochondria at the opening of the IP3-sensitive Ca(2+) channel are known as the mitochondria associated-ER membranes or MAMs(4,5,6)...

BACKGROUND: INtraoperative Video Enhanced Surgical procedure Training (INVEST) is a new training method designed to improve the transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedural training in the operating theater. Traditionally, the master-apprentice model (MAM) is used for procedural training in the operating theater, but this model lacks uniformity and efficiency at the beginning of the learning curve. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of INVEST compared to MAM...

Morphine conjugate vaccines have effectively reduced behavioral effects of heroin in rodents and primates. To better understand how these effects are mediated, heroin and metabolite distribution studies were performed in rats in the presence and absence of vaccination. In non-vaccinated rats 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) was the predominant opioid in plasma and brain as early as 1 minute after i.v. administration of heroin and for up to 14 minutes. Vaccination with morphine conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (M-KLH) elicited high titers and concentrations of antibodies with high affinity for heroin, 6-MAM, and morphine...

A cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of intestinal helminth infections and nutritional status of primary school children was conducted in the Wakiso district in Central Uganda. A total of 432 primary school children aged 6-14 years were randomly selected from 23 schools. Anthropometric measurements of weight, height, MUAC were undertaken and analyzed using AnthroPlus software. Stool samples were examined using a Kato-Katz method. The prevalence of stunting, underweight and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) was 22...

UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND: Cast bracing (CB) has been a well established method of treating tibial shaft fractures. Majority of the recent literature on treatment of tibial shaft fractures have upheld intramedullary nailing (IMN) as the treatment of choice. Most of these studies are from the west, in public funded health set ups and in hospitals with very low rates of infection. This has lead to bewilderment in the minds of surgeons wishing to opt for conservative treatment in countries with scarcity of health resources...

Mammaglobin-A (Mam-A) is a 10 kDa secretory protein that is overexpressed in 80 % of primary and metastatic human breast cancers. Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that Mam-A cDNA vaccine can induce Mam-A-specific CD8 T cell responses and mediate regression of human breast cancer xenografts in NOD/SCID mice. In this article, we present our results on a phase I clinical trial of a Mam-A cDNA vaccination in breast cancer patients with stage-IV metastatic disease, including the impact of vaccination on the expression of the inducible co-stimulator molecule (ICOS) on CD4 T cells...

The unique endoplasmic reticulum (ER) subdomain termed the mitochondria-associated ER membrane (MAM) engages the physical connection between the ER and the mitochondrial outer membrane and plays a role in regulating IP(3) receptor-mediated Ca(2+) influx and the phospholipid transport between the two organelles. The MAM contains certain signaling and membrane-tethering proteins but also lipids including cholesterol. The biophysical role of lipids at the MAM, specifically in the physical interaction between the MAM of the ER and mitochondria, remains not totally clarified...

How to amplify epidermal stem cells (ESCs) rapidly is a challenging crux in skin tissue engineering research. The present study describes the preparation of 3D micronized (300-600 μm) amniotic membrane (mAM) by means of repeated freeze-thawing cycles to deplete cell components and homogenized with a macrohomogenizer in liquid nitrogen. This newly prepared mAM not only possessed the characteristics of a microcarrier but completely retained the basement membrane structure and abundant active substances such as NGF, HGF, KGF, bFGF, TGF-β1 and EGF in the AM matrix...

Alpha-2 adrenergic receptors (A2AR) regulate multiple brain functions and are enriched in developing brain. Studies demonstrate norepinephrine (NE) plays a role in regulating brain maturation, suggesting it is important in A2AR development. To investigate this we employed models of NE absence and excess during brain development. For decreases in NE we used N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride (DSP4), a specific noradrenergic neurotoxin. Increased noradrenergic terminal density was produced by methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) treatment...

The immunohistochemical features of 16 cases of papillary cystadenocarcinoma of salivary glands using a panel of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were evaluated. The specimens were from patients postoperatively diagnosed as papillary cystadenocarcinoma of salivary glands where the age of the patients ranged from 20-70 years, males were more commonly affected than the females and parotid gland was the most commonly affected site. The cytokeratins detected by MoAb KL1 and K8.12 were positive in all cases showing a heterogeneity in intensity of reaction...

BACKGROUND: The transition from basic skills training in a skills lab to procedure training in the operating theater using the traditional master-apprentice model (MAM) lacks uniformity and efficiency. When the supervising surgeon performs parts of a procedure, training opportunities are lost. To minimize this intervention by the supervisor and maximize the actual operating time for the trainee, we created a new training method called INtraoperative Video-Enhanced Surgical Training (INVEST)...

The purpose of the study was to identify epithelial and stromal proteins that exhibit up- or down-regulation in keratoconus (KC) vs. normal human corneas. Because previous proteomic studies utilized whole human corneas or epithelium alone, thereby diluted the specificity of the proteome of each tissue, we selectively analyzed the epithelium and stromal proteins. Individual preparations of epithelial and stromal proteins from KC and age-matched normal corneas were analyzed by two independent methods, i.e., a shotgun proteomic using a Nano-Electrospray Ionization Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry [Nano-ESI-LC-MS (MS)(2)] and two-dimensional-difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) coupled with mass spectrometric methods...

Mdga1, encoding a GPI-anchored immunoglobulin superfamily molecule containing an MAM domain, is expressed by a specific subset of neurons, including layer II/III projection neurons, in the mouse neocortex. To investigate the function of Mdga1 in corticogenesis, we generated Mdga1-deficient mice and backcrossed them to obtain a congenic background. Gross anatomy of the Mdga1-deficient brain at postnatal day (P) 14 showed no obvious phenotype. However, the migration of Mdga1-mutant neurons to the superficial cortical plate was clearly delayed...

With increasing rates of obesity driving the incidence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases to epidemic levels, understanding of the biology of adipose tissue expansion is a focus of current research. Identification and characterization of secreted proteins of the adipose tissue could provide further insights into the function of adipose tissue and might help to therapeutically influence the development of obesity and associated metabolic disorders. In the present study, we identified human epidermal growth factor-like domain multiple-6 (EGFL6) as an adipose tissue-secreted protein...

Azithromycin is a time-dependent antimicrobial with long persistence. The main characteristics of azithromycin suggest that it could be useful for treating bovine mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus. To investigate this possibility, its pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior was studied. Six Holstein lactating cows with subclinical mastitis were administered two 10 mg/kg intramuscular (i.m.) doses of azithromycin, with a 48-h interval. Milk and plasma concentrations were measured by microbiological assay. The MIC(90) was determined in 51 S...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36), a new hand function outcome measure, and to examine differences in manual abilities and item parameters in patients with neurologic and musculoskeletal conditions. DESIGN: Convenience sample from 2 time periods, cross-sectional. SETTING: Outpatient rehabilitation units and private hand clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Patients (N=337; mean age, 50...

In this study, we examined the contribution of the four different pathways of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) synthesis in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to the supply of this phospholipid to the plasma membrane. These pathways of PE formation are decarboxylation of phosphatidylserine (PS) by (i) phosphatidylserine decarboxylase 1 (Psd1p) in mitochondria and (ii) phosphatidylserine decarboxylase 2 (Psd2p) in a Golgi/vacuolar compartment, (iii) incorporation of exogenous ethanolamine and ethanolamine phosphate derived from sphingolipid catabolism via the CDP-ethanolamine pathway in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and (iv) synthesis of PE through acylation of lyso-PE catalyzed by the acyl-CoA-dependent acyltransferase Ale1p in the mitochondria associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane (MAM)...

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the impact of gender on the diastolic function of the left ventricle in healthy men and women and in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) without systolic impairment. METHODS: We examined 67 healthy participants (34 men with a mean age of 51 +/- 13 y and ejection fraction [EF] of 62% +/- 3% and 33 women with a mean age of 53 +/- 11 y and EF of 63% +/- 3%; P = NS) and 60 patients with CAD (36 men with a mean age of 57 +/- 10 y and EF of 59% +/- 3% and 24 women with a mean age of 59 +/- 10 y and EF of 60% +/- 3%), paired with regard to age, heart rate, and medical treatment by transthoracic echocardiography with the assessment of mitral and pulmonary vein flow parameters, propagation of mitral filling waves, and tissue Doppler variables of mitral annulus motion (MAM)...

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disorder with multiple susceptibility genes. We have previously reported suggestive linkage to the chromosomal region 14q21-q23 in Finnish SLE families. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Genetic fine mapping of this region in the same family material, together with a large collection of parent affected trios from UK and two independent case-control cohorts from Finland and Sweden, indicated that a novel uncharacterized gene, MAMDC1 (MAM domain containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor 2, also known as MDGA2, MIM 611128), represents a putative susceptibility gene for SLE...

BACKGROUND: Mitral annulus motion (MAM) obtained by echocardiography can be used in the assessment of left ventricular systolic function (LVSF). However, it has been shown that the amplitude of MAM is decreased in patients with left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT) greater than 14 mm. OBJECTIVE: To study if the amplitude of MAM can be used in the assessment of LVSF in patients with LVWT in the upper limit of normal to mild hypertrophy (12 mm to 14 mm). METHODS: Eighteen consecutive patients with LVWT of 12 mm to 14 mm were compared to 18 age- and sex-matched patients with LVWT less than 12 mm...