Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN), also known as Gruber-Frantz tumor, is a rare form of neoplasm that almost exclusively occurs in the pancreas and in young females. While the potential of malignancy is low for SPN, these tumors can mimic other diseases and require a meticulous investigation and a standard treatment by total surgical resection. We present an unusual case of SPN arising in th...

We have identified a novel gene, Spalten (Spn) that is essential for Dictyostelium multicellular development. Spn encodes a protein with an amino-terminal domain that shows very high homology to Galpha-protein subunits, a highly charged inter-region, and a carboxy-terminal domain that encodes a functional PP2C. Spn is essential for development past the mound stage, being required cell autonomou...

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is a major causative organism of empyema, an inflammatory condition occurring in the pleural sac. In this study, we used human and Spn cDNA microarrays to characterize the transcriptional responses occurring during initial contact between Spn and a human pleural mesothelial cell line (PMC) in vitro. Using stringent filtering criteria, 42 and 23 Spn genes were up-a...

The Streptococcus pyogenes NAD-glycohydrolase (SPN) is a toxic enzyme that is introduced into infected host cells by the cytolysin-mediated translocation pathway. However, how S. pyogenes protects itself from the self-toxicity of SPN had been unknown. In this report, we describe immunity factor for SPN (IFS), a novel endogenous inhibitor that is essential for SPN expression. A small protein of ...

Currently marketed Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) vaccines, which contain polysaccharide capsular antigens from the most common Spn serotypes, have substantially reduced pneumococcal disease rates but have limited coverage. A trivalent pneumococcal protein vaccine containing pneumococcal choline-binding protein A (PcpA), pneumococcal histidine triad protein D (PhtD), and detoxified pneumolysin ...

The potency of spinal sympathetic reflexes is increased after spinal injury, and these reflexes may result in life-threatening hypertensive crises in humans. Few, if any, primary afferents project directly to sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPN). Therefore, spinal sympathetic interneurons (IN) must play a major role in generating dysfunctional sympathetic activity after spinal cord injury. F...

Wischmeyer et al. recently reported the promising results of their TOP-UP pilot trial [1]. This letter aims at clarifying a semantic problem which has complicated the interpretation of many studies. The authors’ hypothesis was that supplemental parenteral nutrition (SPN) combined with enteral nutrition (EN) in ICU patients would improve 60-day survival: 125 patients on mechanical ventilation fo...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate long-term outcomes of adjunctive therapy with SPN-804 (Oxtellar XR® , Supernus Pharmaceuticals), an extended-release tablet formulation of oxcarbazepine (OXC), in adults with refractory partial-onset seizures. METHODS After completing a 16-week double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of SPN-804 at fixed dosages (1200 or 2400 mg QD), patients entering this open-label exten...

The dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) is a multisubunit complex that spans the muscle plasma membrane and forms a link between the F-actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. The proteins of the DGC are structurally organized into distinct subcomplexes, and genetic mutations in many individual components are manifested as muscular dystrophy. We recently identified a unique tetraspan-...

Spalten (Spn), a member of the PP2C family of Ser/Thr protein phosphatases, is required for Dictyostelium cell-type differentiation and morphogenesis. We have identified a new protein kinase, ARCK-1, through a second site suppressor screen for mutants that allow spn null cells to proceed further through development. ARCK-1 has a C-terminal kinase domain most closely related to Ser/Thr protein k...