When arthroscopic tenodesis of the LHB is indicated, the authors recommend a bony fixation over soft tissue fixation because anchor fixation provides significant advantages concerning the clinical and structural outcome.

Background: Hyperekplexia mutations have provided much information about glycine receptor structure and function. Results: We identified and characterized nine new mutations. Dominant mutations resulted in spontaneous activation, whereas recessive mutations precluded surface expression. Conclusion: These data provide insight into glycine receptor activation mechanisms and surface expression determinants. Significance: The results enhance our understanding of hyperekplexia pathology and glycine receptor structure-function.

Subscapularis (SSC) lesions are often underdiagnosed in the clinical routine. This study establishes and compares the diagnostic values of various clinical signs and diagnostic tests for lesions of the SSC tendon. Fifty consecutive patients who were scheduled for an arthroscopic subacromial or rotator cuff procedure were clinically evaluated using the lift-off test (LOT), the internal rotation lag sign (IRLS), the modified belly-press test (BPT) and the belly-off sign (BOS) preoperatively. A modified classification system according to Fox et al. (Type I-IV) was used to classify the SSC lesion during diagnostic arthroscopy. SSC tendon tears occurred with a prevalence of 30% (15 of 50). Five type I, six type II, three type IIIa and one type IIIb tears according to the modified classification system were found. Fifteen percent of the SSC tears were not predicted preoperatively by using all of the tests. In six cases (12%), the LOT and the IRLS could not be performed due to a painful restricted range of motion. The modified BPT and the BOS showed the greatest sensitivity (88 and 87%) followed by the IRLS (71%) and the LOT (40%). The BOS had the greatest specificity (91%) followed by the LOT (79%), mod. BPT (68%) and IRLS (45%). The BOS had the highest overall accuracy (90%). With the BOS and the modified BPT in particular, upper SSC lesions (type I and II) could be diagnosed preoperatively. A detailed physical exam using the currently available SSC tests allows diagnosing SSC lesions in the majority of cases preoperatively. However, some tears could not be predicted by preoperative assessment using all the tests.

Delayed sexual maturation is still frequently seen in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. A close relationship between insulin and androgen metabolism has been found in a number of studies. Our study was designed to investigate whether or not abnormalities in androgen secretion could play a role in the onset of sexual maturation in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. We have asked whether or not there was a correlation between daily insulin dosage, duration of diabetes, metabolic control, age, pubertal stage, and body mass index (BMI) versus serum androgen concentrations. Basal total and free testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and 3alpha-androstanediol glucuronide (3alpha diol-G) plasma concentrations were measured in 36 pubertal boys and 31 pubertal girls with type 1 diabetes and in 59 sex- and pubertal stage-matched control subjects without diabetes. Significantly higher serum total testosterone (p<0.01) and free testosterone (p<0.05) levels were found in females and males with type 1 diabetes than in controls at pubertal stage 5. DHEA-S, SHBG, DHT and 3alpha diol G concentrations in patients with diabetes were not significantly different from those in controls. There was no correlation between daily insulin requirements and serum androgen levels. These data suggest that adolescents with diabetes have similar serum levels of DHEA-S, SHBG, DHT and 3alpha diol G as healthy subjects at all stages of puberty. However, there are significant differences in serum testosterone and free testosterone levels in adolescents with diabetes when compared to healthy, sex- and pubertal stage-matched controls in late puberty. We hypothesize that the increased testosterone levels in patients with diabetes could relate to reduced fertility in females, disorders of sexual maturation and an increased risk for cardiovascular complications later in life.

A chloroplast ribosomal protein that showed immunological homology to Escherichia coli ribosomal protein L12 was purified from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaves and its primary structure was determined by manual micro Edman degradation. The protein is composed of 130 amino acid residues and has Mr 13,576. It shows structural features characteristic of the L12 proteins of eubacterial 70S ribosomes (e.g., identical amino acid residues in about 50% of the sequence) but no apparent homology to the L12-type proteins of eukaryotic cytoplasmic 80S ribosomes. The homology to eubacterial proteins is highest in the COOH-terminal region (70%) and low in the NH2-terminal region (<20%).Plant cells contain three types of ribosomes-namely, an 80S in the free cytoplasm, and two distinct 70S types in the plastids (e.g., chloroplast) and in mitochondria (1-3). The organelle ribosomes synthesize a subset of organelle-specific proteins which are encoded in the organelle DNA. The products of synthesis of the chloroplast ribosomes (which includes the large subunit of the abundant leaf protein ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase) contributes up to halfthe total protein in green leaves (4).Previous studies have shown that chloroplast ribosomes are similar to bacterial ribosomes in functional properties (3,5,6) and in the structure and organization of their RNA components (7,8). For example, the 16S rRNA ofmaize chloroplast (8) shows about 70% homology to Escherichia coli 16S rRNA; it also carries at the 3' end the conserved oligonucleotide stretch important in prokaryotic initiation. The chloroplast rRNA genes are located (two copies each) in the chloroplast DNA (7).Like bacterial ribosomes, chloroplast ribosomes contain between 50 and 60 ribosomal proteins (rproteins) (3). The rprotein genes are divided (unlike the rRNA genes) between the nuclear and chloroplast genomes (9), and therefore the coordinate synthesis of chloroplast rproteins depends on mechanisms (not yet elucidated) of intergenomic coregulation. The system of chloroplast rproteins and their genes is important and interesting but little work has been done in characterizing the individual components.In the present paper we report the isolation, properties, and primary structure ofa chloroplast rprotein. In terms ofsequence homology, it corresponds to the functionally important and phylogenetically conserved rprotein L12 (10), which is present in E. coli ribosomes in four copies (11) and which, as a tetramer, forms a morphologically distinct "stalk" on the 50S subunit (12). MATERIALS AND METHODSPreparation of Chloroplast Ribosomes. Because of the need to process large quantities of leaves, we developed a simplified procedure (based on refs. 13 and 14). Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaves (purchased at the central market) were cleaned and deveined, homogenized (2 liters of buffer per kg of leaves) in a Waring blender (two 10-sec runs), and filtered through cheesecloth (all operations at 0-4OC). The filtrate was centrifuged (1,200 x g, 15 min) and the pellet was washed ...