Is the human dystrophin gene's intron structure related to its intron instability?
Repeat elements in many dystrophin gene introns are the key to their structural bases and reflect intron instability. As a result of the primary DNA sequences, single-stranded hairpin loops form, increasing the instability of the gene, and forming the base for breaks in the DNA. The formation of the single-stranded hairpins can result in reattachment of two different breakpoints, producing a deletion.
The amount of activity required to effectively treat a prostate of a given volume was lower with stranded seeds than with loose seeds. Our experience suggests that prostate brachytherapy that uses stranded seeds leads to a more efficient implant with fewer seeds and lower overall activity, resulting in improved homogeneity.